Those Blue Eyes
by TheHungerGamesIreland
Summary: The only time Katniss had ever even come close to love had been with a blonde haired, blue eyed boy that had to leave for reasons that she still doesn't know. And she just can't forget him. Modern Day AU, OOC. Katniss and Peeta.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1 - May_

"I just think, since we're both legally adults now, that it's time we do this. You know, get it over with. I mean, I've been pretty patient Katniss."

Katniss couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. Her boyfriend of only three months, Cato Jones, was asking for what must be the tenth time since her eighteenth birthday two weeks ago if they could finally have sex. She definitely _liked_ Cato, but she was beginning to think that she liked him as more of a friend than a lover.

"Cato please! We talked about this. I'm just not ready yet. Believe me, when I feel like I'm ready for this I will tell you. Just please be a little bit more patient."

She knew she may have been pushing Cato just a little bit, but to be perfectly honest, even just the thought of having sex with_ anyone_ made her feel uncomfortable. Katniss only wanted to have sex with someone that she was absolutely positive that she was in love with, and only oner person had ever even come close to making her feel that way. She still thought about him every day. About those shining blue eyes and wavy blonde hair that made girls swoon over him. They had had a very brief relationship when they were sixteen, lasting only a month, which was almost two years ago. Suddenly, he and his witch of a mother had to move to Ireland. She was never really sure why, because he was here one day and gone the next, with only a note to explain where he had gone.

_Peeta Mellark._

That one name was able to send a slight shiver down her spine and so many good memories come rushing back into her head.

Katniss realised that she had zoned out thinking of Peeta. Cato had stormed out after she refused to have sex with him, probably to go to the bar just down the street. "_As usual," _she thought. Recently, Cato had made a habit of just running out instead of confronting problems. When they had first gotten together, Cato had been a model boyfriend. He was caring, kind and never tried to pressure her to go further than she wanted to. Now though, he had been moody, distant and was forever trying to get her to let him take her virginity.

She sighed and just decided to do some studying and have an early night in bed. Cato would probably just go home after he was done getting drunk, so it didn't really matter.

* * *

About three hours later, there was a loud knock on the door of her apartment. Katniss silently cursed, hoping the knock wouldn't wake up her little sister, Prim, who had gotten back from her friend Rue's house about an hour ago. She pushed her book off her lap and walked to the front door. When it was opened, she was immediately hit with a strong smell of alcohol. After she winced, Katniss looked up and saw Cato's misty grey-blue eyes staring back at her.

_Peeta's are much bluer. And warmer._

_Dammit. Stop thinking about him. You're never going to see him again. Never._

"Why are you here at this time?" she inquired.

"Katniss.. I've really fucked up," he paused to roughly rub his hands over his face, and continued. "I was at the bar and there was this girl, I think her name was Glitter or Glimmer or something. Anyway, I had been drinking a lot and.." he trailed off, and Katniss started to fear the worst.

"Cato? Please just tell me what happened?"

"Katniss please forgive me. Please, I need you. _I love you" _he started to grovel how much he loved her and didn't want to lose her, and eventually Katniss had to know exactly what had happened.

"CATO!"

He jumped and looked startled, but stayed quiet for once. "Cato, please. Just tell me what happened."

"I slept with her."

For a few seconds, Katniss couldn't breathe. She couldn't believe what was happening. She had been _cheated_ on.

"What..what..why? Why would you do that? Was I not _good enough _for you? Just because I'm not some little _slut _that won't put out for you, you have to go get it somewhere else? _God_, if you thought it was this bad why didn't you just leave?" Katniss was absolutely_ fuming_.

"What was I meant to do? I thought you'd eventually stop being a frigid little _prude _but I didn't think that it would take this long!"

Cato had crossed a line, and he knew it. A look of guilt flashed across his face, and Katniss was just about to slap him across the face when Prim suddenly appeared out from her room, still looking her beautiful self even when her hair was mussed up from sleep. She looked confused and scared, her eyes darting between the two. "What's going on?" she asked. Sadness took over from the anger for a few seconds. Prim had always loved Cato. He treated her well and always seemed to have time for her. It almost made her regret what she was about to do.

"Cato. Out. _Now. _And don't ever even consider coming back here again."

That was it. He was gone with a slam of her door.

Katniss thought she should probably feel sad, or she should be crying, or even feel _something._ Her boyfriend had just cheated on her, and she had broken up with him. And she didn't feel a thing. This made her guilty. How was it that she was so cold and emotionless that she hasn't even shed one single tear? Maybe since Peeta left, there's just no hope of her ever falling in love. He took her heart across the ocean and never came back, never called, never emailed, never even tried to contact her. This made her want to just stay locked away in her apartment forever. For the first few months Peeta was in Ireland, Katniss just completely shut down. She now understood why her mother had shut down after her father had died. She would just sit there in her rocking chair, staring into nothingness. This happened when Katniss was fourteen, and she had never really understood until Peeta came along.

_Katniss had first noticed Peeta staring at her one day in school. She had been eating lunch with Prim, when she looked up and met the most dazzlingly bright blue eyes she had ever seen in her life. He didn't drop his gaze when she looked back at him, but smiled at her. Katniss quickly flitted her eyes away, blushing fiercly. She couldn't understand her reaction, but put it down to being a sixteen year old girl who had never gotten a boys attention before in her life. The next day, she heard that a new bakery had opened in the small town she lived in. Prim begged and begged her to take her to see it, and she finally gave in.  
_

_After school that day, they walked to the bakery and opened the door. Katniss was dumbfounded when she was met with the same pair of dazzling blue eyes that had been staring at her not even two days ago._

_"Hey! Don't you go to my school?" He asked, flashing her a breathtaking 1000 watt smile._

_"Uhh- Um.. Yeah, yes I think so." She mentally cursed for sounding so nervous, but she couldn't ignore the butterflies raging in her stomach. _

_"Well, my name's Peeta Mellark. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand, looking at her expectantly. She quickly shook it._

_"Katniss Everdeen, and this is my sister Prim." she mumbled. Prim, being her usual confident self, gave him a kind smile and shook his hand excitedly._

_"Well Katniss, what would you like?" He motioned to a huge selection of cakes and pastries behind a glass screen. She walked over to get a better look, and her eyes landed on what looked like a very small loaf of bread, which had a sign above it that said 'Cheese Buns'. "I'll have one of the cheese buns please". Prim selected a pink cupcake and they paid. _

_The food was so amazing that they ended up going back the next day, and the next, and the next. Every time they were there, Katniss and Peeta fell into easy conversation, never coming across any silence. After a week, Prim ran outside because it had started snowing and she wanted to see it. Peeta shifted awkwardly on his feet and looked at Katniss through his blonde curls. "Hey, um, i was, um, wondering if you maybe wanted to go out with me sometime? It's totally ok if you don't want to, I mean there's no pressure if you don-"_

_"Peeta! If you stop babbling I'll go out with you."_

_"Oh, Ok well i'm free tomorrow night if you want." He looked like he was on cloud nine, which confused Katniss. Why would someone get flustered over her? She wasn't ugly, but she wasn't 'pretty' either. Prim was the pretty one. With her long, straight, golden hair and bright blue eyes, all of the girls in her grade at school envied her, which resulted in them being a little mean to her. _

_"That sounds great." _

_And she knew she was a goner._

* * *

**A/N.  
Hey guys, thanks for reading! This is my first fanfic, so be kind :) Please review, and feel free to give me some stuff you might like to see happen later on in the story. **


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2 - June_

It really didn't take long for Katniss to recover from Cato's infidelity. She was upset for about a week, but Prim took it a lot harder than she did.

"I think you should really talk to him Katniss," Prim mumbled through a mouthful of cereal, "I really liked him!"

Sometimes Katniss could forget just how old Prim was. She was sitting across the table from her, curling the end of one of her plaits around her finger, looking as sweet and innocent as ever. She was breathtakingly beautiful. There were no blemishes on her pale skin, and her bright blue eyes were framed with long lashes that didn't even need mascara. It was hard to believe that she was 16 next month.

"Prim, he did something unforgivable! He cheated on me! I just can't forget that. I know you liked him, but he just wasn't the person we thought he was." Katniss sighed, and looked at the clock, realising that it was time for Prim to leave for school. "Come on Little Duck," she said, using the fond nickname that had first been given to her by her father, "it's time you should go."

Prim pouted, but got up and picked up her schoolbag nonetheless. She skipped out the door, leaving Katniss alone. She didn't have to work until two that day, so she decided to do some studying. She was doing a nursing course, and it required a lot of work. She sat at her desk drinking in the information for about and hour, when there was a loud, unsteady knock at the door. She got up to answer it and saw a very drowsy looking Cato staring at her, his eyes clouded over.

The smell of alcohol hit her instantly, just like it did the last time she opened the door to him, about a month ago.

"K-Katnissss," he slurred, "You l-look great"

"What do you want Cato? You're drunk." Katniss couldn't help but feel uneasy, ask Cato Gave her a wicked grin.

"You."

Suddenly, his chapped lips were on hers. She pushed him away, but he came back. Again. And again.

And then it happened.

It took her a while to process what had just happened. She looked around. Her clothes were thrown around the room, and there was a painful ache between her legs. Katniss tried to stand up, but was too unsteady and shocked to move.

He had forced himself on her.

_And taken her virginity._

Suddenly, her body started shaking with uncontrollable sobs. She wasn't sure how long she cried for, but when she looked at the clock after getting her tears under control, she realised that it was almost time for her to go to work. She knew she wouldn't be able to face all of the customers at the store she worked in, so she called her best friend, Finnick.

He picked up on the second ring, and Finnick's smooth and flirtatious voice soothed her. He was a raging ladies man, but underneath that shell he had a heart of gold. There had never been anything romantic between them. They had been on one date when they first met but soon realised that they would be much better as friends. Since that revelation, they talked every single day, whether it was face to face or on the phone. He adored Prim, and Katniss was pretty sure that Prim had a bit of a crush on him.

"Hello?" he purred down the phone.

"C-can you come over? Now?" it came out as more of a mumble, but Finnick must have been able to understand.

"Of course, I'll be there in five." He sounded concerned. He knew her so well, always able to tell when something was wrong with her.

* * *

He got there in five minutes, as promised, and as soon as he saw her he lifted her up and set her down on his lap on the couch. As soon as they were settled, she started sobbing again. Finnick didn't say a word, just held her as she cried. When she finally settled down about twenty minutes later, he produced a tissue from his jean pocket and wiped her tears away. Curiosity finally got to him, and he asked.

"What happened Katniss?"

"H-he-he _raped_ me." And with that she burst into tears all over again, for the third time that day. Katniss felt his grip tighten on her waist momentarily in anger but loosened almost immediately, anger flashing in his sea green eyes. Finnick was the first person that Katniss had told about Cato cheating, aside from Prim of course, and he had been absolutely _fuming, _to say the least. He had rushed over to the bar where he was most likely to be, and punched Cato straight in the nose, with no hesitation.

"That son of a _bitch!_" he whispered, venom in his voice, "Did you call the police?"

"No! And I don't think it will make a difference. His uncle is the head of the police force, he'll just say that I didn't state clearly that I didn't want it to happen."

"But you have to do something Katniss! Even if you do get over this, he lives five minutes away. Chances are, you'll see him almost every day." Finnick sounded distraught, which was uncommon. He was usually happy-go-lucky and laid back, never letting his problems get in his way. The only time he had ever heard him like this was when his long time girlfriend, Annie, left him for a job in England. She was a very talented teacher, and got invited to teach at a very prestigious private school near London. Finnick had been absolutely head over heels in love with her, and it just broke him when she left. Since then, he had no problem getting girls. They were usually slutty and wore _way_ too much make-up, and Finnick never spent more than one night, maybe two if they were lucky, with them before they were cast aside.

Really, he would go after anything with a pulse.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow? I really just don't want to be alone. Will you stay here tonight please?" she pleaded, feeling too scared to stay in her apartment on her own. Luckily, Prim was staying at Rue's house tonight, so Katniss could have some time to try and process what had happened properly before she had to talk about it.

Katniss and Finnick stayed inside all day, ordering in food. When it arrived and the delivery boy knocked on the door, Katniss flinched, and Finnick must have noticed the panic in her eyes.

"It's ok, just the delivery person." He gave her a kiss on the forehead before he got up and paid for the food.

They ate and chatted, and soon the memory faded a bit. It was still replaying in her head, but she was able to laugh at Finnick's jokes and pay attention to the cheesy movie he had put on.

When it started getting dark, Katniss' eyes started to droop. They were both lying on the couch, her head resting on Finnick's shoulder. She then realised how amazing her best friend was, and how lucky she was to have him in her life.

"Finnick?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

* * *

**A/N.**

**Hey! Got a pretty good response to the first chapter, and I know this was a little intense. It gets better eventually, I promise! I'm sorry about any grammar errors, but I don't have the time to check over it and correct it all. Keep reviewing! I love ittttt.**

**P.S. I'm Irish, so if I use any Irish slang by accident please tell me and I'll take it out. Habits! **


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3 - July_

It took Katniss weeks to get over what happened. Finnick took great care of her, as he had so much free time. He worked as a swimming instructor in a fancy private school nearby, and they were out for the Summer. He only taught in an optional class every weekend, so Katniss has him all to herself on other days. He made her her favourite food, played her cheesy Rom-Com movies and filled Prim in on what had happened, as she wasn't ready to talk about it yet.

Katniss didn't leave her apartment for about two weeks after the incident. Every time there was a knock on the door she flinched and panicked. Eventually, she plucked up the courage to take a short walk to the grocery store, with Finnick by her side of course, and found it wasn't as bad as she had been anticipating. Cato wasn't there, and apparently he hadn't been seen around the small town for about two weeks.

Katniss got back into routine, beginning to take care of Prim again and going back to work. She was very close to the manager of the store, Haymitch, so he told her that her job would be waiting for her when she was good and ready. Haymitch was the closest thing that Katniss had to a father figure, and he absolutely _adored_ Prim. He was a surly old drunk, but always sobered up before he came to the apartment to see them. He had been her mother's best friend before she died, and got her her first, and only, job when she died. He took them in until Katniss was able to get her own apartment and look after Prim. When Katniss was behind on rent, Haymitch would always find out, _probably from Prim, _and he was willing and able to help out. Katniss always paid him back, of course, as her pride wouldn't let her just take the money.

She even made a new friend, Gale. They had met a few months back at the archery station in the local gym, but never took much notice of each other, until they met at the grocery store and got into a lively conversation about sports. Katniss loved football and basketball, and Gale so happened to be a fan. They went for coffee regularly, and became very close within a couple of weeks. Nothing romantic ever went on between them, and they both seemed to be happy with that. Or so she thought.

They were having coffee in Katniss' favourite local cafe, and they were laughing about how Gale had walked into the clear glass door on the way in, twice. Katniss' hand was outstretched on the table, when Gale's large, calloused hand covered it. Katniss looked down at their hands in shock, but was too polite to pull it away.

_Even though this tiny show of affection scared the hell out of her._

* * *

_"_Sooooooo what's going on with you and Galey?" Finnick slurred, making kissey faces. Prim was staying over at a friend's house, so Katniss had headed over to Finnick's house with a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses shoved in her bag. They had only had a few shots each, but it had already gone to their heads.

"We-we're j-just friends silly!" she replied, bursting into laughter for no reason, "but I'll admit, he is_ hot. _Not my type though."

Katniss had been trying to subtly distance herself from Gale for the past few weeks, since he had held her hand. But Gale wasn't giving up quite that easy. He was trying to make plans with her every night, and always showed up at the gym when she was there trying to clear her head. Archery wasn't a very popular sport around their town, so most of the time that part of the gym was empty.

"Well he _wants_ you," he hiccuped, and giggled a very girly giggle, his usually smooth, deep voice disappearing, "I've seen the way he l-looks at you Kitty Ca-"

"Don't call me that Finnick!"

_"Fine._ But I mean it, he wants you. A lot more than he's telling you. I think you should either go for it or just let him down easy so no feelings get hurt later on."

"Why do you always get so god-damn wise when you're drunk?" she asked, taking another shot and wincing as the liquid burned down her throat.

"It's one of my many talents," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Ew, Finnick. I do _not_ need to hear about your sex life!" she screamed, lobbing a pillow from the couch at his face. He laughed and threw it back, and it turned into a full blown pillow fight.

They passed out at around three in the morning, Finnick on the kitchen table and Katniss on the huge armchair in his living room.

She woke up with a pounding headache and looked at the clock.

_Shit._

It was almost three o' clock, and Prim would be home any minute. She ran into the kitchen and shook Finnick awake, imagining that his headache must be just as bad as hers. "I gotta go, Prim's gonna be home soon! Call me later."

Finnick only grunted in response, and rolled onto his side. He made a gagging sound, and threw up into the trash can next to the table.

Katniss began the short walk back to her apartment, enjoying the beautiful Summer day. It was sunny and hot, making her grateful that she had worn shorts. She rounded the final corner and pulled her keys out of her bag, jingling them in her hand.

* * *

"Prim? I'm home!"

When she got no reply, Katniss looked at the clock and saw that it was only three o' clock. Her head was still incredibly painful, so she went into the kitchen and got out two aspirin. When she turned around, she dropped the glass and it shattered all over the floor, and she got a cut on her foot where her flip flops didn't give much protection from the glass.

"Oww ow ow _shit!_" she shouted, "Gale what the hell are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"Your door was opened and I wanted to ask you something, so i waited for you to get back," he replied with a smile. Katniss silently cursed, remembering that she didn't lock the door when she left for Finnick's house yesterday.

"Well what do you want? You can't just let yourself in to someone's apartment without asking you know." she snapped, getting more irritated by the second.

He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking nervous. "I was wondering.. Well I thought.. Would you like to go out on a date with me? Like, a real date?"

"_Gale.."_

"Please. Just one date, and if you don't enjoy it I promise we can just be regular friends again!" He looked so desperate, and Katniss couldn't help but say yes, no matter how reluctant to date she was.

"_Fine_. Now please, go. I have to get this cleaned up."

"Ok, see you tomorrow at seven?"

She tried to muster up a warm smile, but it came out as more of a grimace.

"Sounds.. Good."

* * *

**A/N.  
****Hey guys! The story's getting a great response, so I'm gonna keep it going. I know that the chapters are short but I just don't have very much time to write great big long ones. Sorry! Please Please Please keep reviewing, they help me write! And they put me in a good mood :) If there's anything you'd maybe like to see in coming chapters let me know in a review and I'll see what I can do!**

**I'm going out tomorrow night so it'll probably be Saturday or Sunday when you get an update, but I'll try my best to have it up by Monday. I'm getting my holidays tomorrow so I'll have a lot more free time to write! **

**See you soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N.**  
**Hey guys! This story is getting such a good response, and a lot of you are wondering when Peeta's going to come in to the story. I'm going to do his point of view in a few chapters, but there's some stuff I have to do first before I can work him in. Oh, and in case I don't update before then, I hope you all have a great Christmas!**

* * *

_Chapter 4 - July Part II._

_This is a bad idea. A very, _very_, bad idea. What if he does what Cato did? I wouldn't be able to handle it. I hate going on dates._

Katniss' first date with Cato had been a disaster.

_It started off just like a regular date. Cato had showed up to her apartment at seven sharp, just like he had promised. When Katniss opened the door, he was leaning against the door frame dressed in dark blue jeans and a red and white checked shirt._

_"You look beautiful Katniss," he stuttered nervously, his smoky blue eyes drinking her in. She wasn't wearing anything special, just black skinny jeans and a green t-shirt, her hair braided down over her left shoulder._

_They drove to the small local cinema, which was only a five minute drive away. They maintained a steady conversation the whole way there, Cato doing most of the talking. When they walked in, Cato let her chose the movie. She was just about to suggest a movie called 'The Hunger Games', which looked pretty cool, when a girl with long glossy black hair and a cocky smile approached them. The had on way too much make-up, and the skirt she was wearing was so short that it could have passed as a belt. Her shirt was extremely low cut, and her cleavage was practically bursting out of it._

_"Well hello there Cato. Who's your friend?" she asked him, shooting Katniss daggers. Her eyes raked over her plain clothes and make-up-less face, clearly judging her._

_"Uh, h-hey C-Clove. This is.. Katniss," he stuttered out, stiffening beside her._

_"Well, well, well, finally getting back in the game, are we Cato?" she asked, giving him a smug smile._

_"Uh y-yeah, I guess so." Katniss looked at him, and noticed that he was looking everywhere except for into Clove's eyes._

_"Hey Cato? I think the movie's about to start, so we should go. It was nice meeting you, Clove." Katniss grabbed Cato's hand and dragged him away, and Cato was looking at her, open mouthed and shocked._

_"Thank you for that. Clove's my ex-girlfriend, she was a complete bitch. Sadistic almost. Took, like, pleasure or something in seeing me suffer." he explained._

_"No problem. You looked really uncomfortable." Cato relaxed after that, and paid for their tickets and food._

_The movie was great. A little violent, but that kind of stuff has never effected Katniss. Prim was always the one who hated it, constantly bringing home wounded animals that she would find, or covering her eyes when a gory scene came on tv._

_They walked out of the cinema, and were surprised to see that it had started snowing. It was a beautiful scene, with Christmas lights lining the street and a huge Christmas tree lit up with twinkling lights as the end of the street. Katniss smiled, and took Cato's hand. Just like her first date with Peeta, it was only a few days until Christmas Eve._

_"Wanna go get some hot chocolate?" Cato asked, smiling at her._

_"Yeah, sure!" She replied, and they began walking hand-in-hand down the street. What must have been less than a minute later, Clove marched up to them with a determined look on her face, once again shooting daggers at Katniss. Without a word, she grabbed the front of Cato's shirt in her fist and kissed him hard on the mouth. His eyes rounded and stayed open, unlike Clove's which were lightly closed._

_Suddenly, Cato pushed her away, staring at her in shock._

_"What the fuck was that Clove?" he shouted, his face red with anger._

_She shrugged. "I want you back. Is that so bad?" she tried to look sweet and fluttered her eyelashes at him, but underneath it she still look like a bitch._

_"Well you _cheated_ on me, you don't get me back. Simple as that. Goodbye, Clove."_

_He grabbed Katniss' hand again and pulled her away, pulling her out of her state of shock._

_"Katniss, I am so, _so_ sorry!" he began to apologise, looking genuinely upset._

_"Hey! It's ok Cato, it's not like you kissed her back. I understand." Cato breathed a sigh of relief._

_"Good, because I really like you." he have her a bright smile, and they walked the rest of the way to his car and drove home in a comfortable silence._

_When they got to Katniss' building, Cato offered to walk her to the door. When Katniss was about to go in, she said goodnight, and Cato leaned in to kiss her. Katniss thought it was too soon, so she turned her head to the side. His lips landed on her cheek instead of her lips, and Cato look a bit shocked. Katniss said a hurried goodnight and entered her apartment, leaning against the door when she closed it. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that it was over._

* * *

Her first date with Peeta had been the complete opposite of that.

_Peeta had texted her that morning to tell her that he was taking her somewhere cold, so she had to wrap up warm. She showered, and decided to leave her hair down when it was dry. It fell in glossy brown waves past her shoulders. She put on blue skinny jeans, a thick knitted blue and white jumper, a scarf and a hat. She called Prim in to her room, asking for her opinion on the outfit. Prim nodded, but then had an idea._

_ "Sit down for a second," she asked._

_Katniss sat on the brown wooden stool in front of her dresser, and Prim ran into her bedroom, coming out a minute later with a purple make-up bag. Katniss had never worn make-up before in her life, as she never really had an excuse to get dressed up and go out. Her grey eyes were piercing enough without it, and her skin, which once had mild acne, was relatively blemish free now._

_"Prim. I am not wearing that!" she whined, giving her sister a glare._

_"Yes, you are. Just this once, please? For me?" she batted her eyelashes at Katniss and gave her her most pleading look. Katniss cursed silently, wishing she had even just a little will power when it came to her sister._

_"Fine. But hurry up, Peeta will be here soon!" Prim's face lit up with a giddy smile, and she got to work._

_It didn't take long for her make-up to be applied, and as soon as she was finished the doorbell rang. Prim practically sprinted down the stairs and flung open the door. _

_"Hey Peeta!" Prim smiled at him, practically jumping up and down._

_"Hi Prim! How are you?" He asked her, giving her a sweet smile._

_"Good! Doesn't Katniss look beautiful?" Katniss blushed at this, and Peeta looked at her for the first time. His jaw went a little slack, and his shining blue eyes got even brighter, something Katniss thought impossible. _

_He gulped, "Y-yes, she looks g-gorgeous, Prim," Katniss ducked her head and mumbled a thank you. _

_At that moment, Katniss' friend Madge appeared behind Peeta. Katniss had called her to babysit Prim, as they got along like a house on fire. _

_"We should go. Bye Prim, love you." Katniss rushed, giving Prim a quick kiss on the top of her head. She grabbed her bag from the small table in the hallway and joined Peeta in the doorway. _

_When the door was closed behind them, Katniss turned to face Peeta._

_"So, where are we going?" she asked, smiling at him._

_"It's a surprise" he replied, giving her a sly smile._

_Katniss pouted, but Peeta just chuckled and started walking, motioning for him to follow her. It was chilly out, and Katniss was glad that she was well wrapped up. There was snow on the ground, and the Christmas lights set the most romantic scene she had ever witnessed._

_They fell into a relaxed conversation, and their hands brushed together occasionally. Eventually, Peeta plucked up the courage to hold her hand. Katniss got butterflies in her stomach, just like the ones that had appeared when Peeta had first asked her on a date. He smiled at her bashfully, blushing. _

_When they arrived, Katniss gasped. Peeta had taken her to the ice-skating rink on the outside of the town. They rented their skates and wobbled on to the ice, unsteady on the thin blades. _

_Peeta took her hand in his again and they set off around the ice. Katniss took to ice-skating after a few minutes, but Peeta was still very unsteady. Suddenly, there was a little boy speeding towards them, and Katniss pulled Peeta out of the way. They both lost their balance and fell, with Peeta on his back and Katniss on her stomach on top of him. They were silent, and very slowly Katniss leaned in and kissed him._

_And it felt like _fireworks_. _

_Peeta opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, but then suddenly realised where they were and pulled away. _

_He gave her a 1000 watt smile and Katniss blushed, pushing herself off of him. They stood up and brushed off their clothes, both of them grinning like idiots. _

_They skated for a while longer, and then both decided they should head back, as it was getting late._

_They walked home holding hands, in a comfortable silence, still smiling about the kiss. They got to Katniss' house, and stopped at the door._

_"Thank you so much Peeta, that was amazing." Peeta looked delighted._

_"No problem, I really enjoyed it too." _

_They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then both began to lean in._

_When their lips met, it felt just as good as it did the first time, if not better. Peeta wrapped his arms around her waist, and she threw her arms around his neck. Katniss opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, and they stayed kissing like this for a few minutes, only pulling away briefly to take a breath. Suddenly, the front door flew open and they sprang apart. _

_"Oh! I'm so sorry! I thought I heard someone out here so I just came out to check," Madge stuttered, and re-entered the house. _

_"I should go. Goodnight," Peeta said, leaning over to give her one last kiss. _

* * *

Katniss felt a pang of longing in her chest, missing Peeta. She made a sudden decision to look for the address that Peeta had left her, as soon as she got back from her date with Gale. She was going to write him a letter, and she didn't even care if Peeta's feelings for her were gone. She just had to try to make contact with him, even if it had been years.

She was going to do this and talk to him, come hell or high water.

* * *

**A/N. **

**Hoped you like the flashbacks, they took ages to write! Please please please keep reviewing, I love it! **

**Have a good Christmas everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N.**

**Heyyyy guys! I am SO sorry that there was a little wait on this one, I was really sick over Christmas :( Enjoy!**

_Chapter 5 - July Part III_

Gale arrived at 8 o' clock sharp, just as he had said. He had a small bouquet of white roses in his hand, and he was wearing a slightly over-enthusiastic smile on his handsome face.

"Hey Katniss! You look great, like really good. Tonight's gonna be awesome," he rambled, and Katniss cringed at how excited he sounded. She had been going back and forth ever since she had decided to write her letter to Peeta. She had no idea whether she wanted to go out with Gale or not, and she certainly didn't like him in the way he seemed to like her. Eventually, she decided it would be rude to cancel at such short notice, so she would just have to grin and bear it.

"Um, thanks Gale. You look nice too," she replied, trying to give him her most convincing smile. But she was pretty sure it came out as more of a grimace.

"Should we go?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," she replied, her bad mood getting worse by the second. She had even phoned Finnick before Gale had arrived to see if he could cheer her up, but even he couldn't put her in a better mood right now, which was extremely rare. He had soothed her and told her it would be alright, but it didn't help at all.

_What if it's awkward? What he does what Cato did to me?_

They walked to the restaurant in silence, except for the occasional attempt at small talk from Gale. Their hands brushed against each other, and Katniss couldn't help but notice how there was no jolt of electricity when she touched Gale, unlike when she touched Peeta. She couldn't wait to get her date over with so that she could write the letter. Katniss had no idea what she was going to write, but she knew that she needed to do it.

When they reached the restaurant, a waiter showed them to their table, and they ordered their drinks and food. The meal was good, and full of laughter and easy conversation. Then Gale started to ask some questions.

"So, uh, who's this Finnick dude that you're always hanging out with?" he stuttered out.

"Oh, Finnick's the best, he's been my best friend for about a year now. He's kind of a ladies man, but he's harmless really," Katniss smiled while she was talking, as Finnick always brought a smile to her face.

"You two seem awfully _close_," he replied, sounding jealous.

"We are. Not that it's any of your business, though." Katniss shot back, her anger increasing. Who the hell did he think he was, making comments about her personal life. Her friends were her own business, and certainly _not_ Gale's.

"So what age is your sister? She seems.. _Nice._" Gale asked, and Katniss felt her face flush in rage. But since they were still in the restaurant, she didn't want to cause a big scene. Gale had only met Prim once, and Prim didn't like him. She hadn't shown it at the time, being as polite and well spoken as she always was towards everyone, but as soon as the door had closed behind him, she had laid in.

_"Katniss? I don't like him. Something's just not right about him. He's too.. Shifty. And he clearly has a thing for you. Please be careful." she had said, sounding about forty years old instead of fifteen._

_"Hey! I'm supposed to be the grown up here, remember? I don't like him like that anyway, so calm down. Gale's harmless." Prim nodded, but she still looked unconvinced._

"You mean _Prim_?" she replied, emphasizing her name, "She's fifteen."

"Must be annoying having to look after her all the time. Someone as hot as you could have a lot of fun without something like that holding them back. Too bad." he said casually, as if it were the most obvious statement in the world.

"_Excuse me?_ Prim's my sister. I love looking after her, and I don't need dickheads like you saying that she's holding me back." Katniss spat, getting angrier by the second.

"Woah! I was just saying!" he replied, looking wounded. Katniss didn't care.

"Whatever. Let's go, I told Prim I would be home by 10."

They walked home in an awkward silence, walking side by side but with about two feet between them. When they got to Katniss' building, Gale followed her right up to the front entrance. He fixed his steely grey gaze on her lips, and leaned in. Katniss quickly put her hand on his chest and pushed him away.

"Tell me, what part of this date even gave you the tiniest inclination that I wanted to kiss you? Seriously?" she shouted at him.

"Oh, _come on _Katniss. You think you can walk around being a sluttly little tease, but when it comes to the real thing you're just a prude. Huh, no wonder you're a virgin." he spat, with a rueful smile on his face.

Katniss gave him a hard slap across the face and entered her apartment, loudly slamming the door in his face.

* * *

Later that night, Katniss threw on some sweats and grabbed a notebook and a pen. This was it. She sat at the kitchen table, and stared at the blank page. She had waited until Prim had gone to bed to do this, to avoid being bombarded with questions.

_Peeta._

_I'm not really sure what I want to say in this. I hope you're OK. How is your mother? Tell her I say hello. Prim is fine, she's fifteen years old now. I'm doing a nursing degree, just like I've always wanted to. Did you keep painting? I hope you did, it would be such a shame to waste your talent. I wish you could meet my friend Finnick. He's like my brother, and you would like him. A ladies man, but a sweetheart under that. And Prim has a crush on him!_

Katniss knew that she was tip-toeing around what she really wanted to write. This was a lot harder that she thought it would be.

_What I really wanted to say is that I miss you so much. I think about you every day. It may sound weird, like I'm some kind of stalker, but please tell me that you miss me too. If you remember me. I haven't had the best of luck with guys recently, to say the least. Some really bad things happened, and I just wanted to hear from you. You always knew how to make me feel better when I was down. Please write back to me. Please explain to me why you had to leave. It hurt. A lot. I know your mother didn't like me, but it wasn't bad enough to make her take you out of the country, was it? Just please write me one letter, or give me a phone call or something, I miss you so much._

_I know this letter isn't much, but I'm desperate. Please, Peeta, let me know that you're OK._

_Love, Katniss. _

__She knew the letter was a little desperate and short, but she was emotionally drained from just writing it. She scrawled his address on the front, and decided to post it first thing tomorrow morning. She needed this. She needed _him._

And she was going to find him.

* * *

**A/N.**

**Phew! I've been waiting to write the letter since I started this story, so that was fun. I know it was kind of short, but you know how Katniss is. I didn't want to over do it! I hope you all had a good Christmas to make up for mine, cause I was really really sick :( but I got loads of new books to read so yay! **

**I hope everyone has a good new year, and I think the next chapter and maybe the one after that will be in Peeta's POV.**

**Keep reviewing pleeeeaaaasssseee! It makes me so so happy :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N.**

**Well hey! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter :) This one will give you all some long awaited Peeta time! Enjoy x**

_Chapter 6 - August_

_Peeta's Point Of View_

"Hurry up with those loaves Peeta! _I spend my life waiting for you, useless."_

Peeta's mother muttered the last part under her breath, but he still heard her. He sighed, and increased the pace at which he was unloading the loaves of wheat bread from one of the five large ovens in the bakery they ran. He picked them up, which should have been hard, but years of lifting flour bags and doing good, hard manual labour had made him strong.

"Coming!" he shouted back, trying to stifle a yawn at the same time. It was only six in the morning, and he had been up since 5, getting the bakery ready for the day ahead. Mondays were always especially busy at their small business, with it being in the heart of Dublin.

His eighteenth birthday had been back in April, and he was counting the days until he could head back to America. He loved Ireland, and had made some great friends in his time. Delly, for example. She was sweet-as-sugar and loved everyone, always wearing a smile on her slightly chubby face. They were like brother and sister, and inseparable. Marvel, aswell. He could be a little intense sometimes, but he was pretty great. Him, Delly and Marvel were best friends, and he couldn't ask for much more in Ireland. He had a roof over his head, and lived in comfort.

But he missed _her_.

Katniss. Katniss Everdeen. As weird as it may sound, he still loved her. He _loved_ her. So much. And Peeta was prepared to do anything to see her again, even if it meant leaving his mother in Ireland. They had been together for a month, and it had been by far the best month of his life. Katniss was smart, beautiful and funny, and he was sure that she had loved him too. His biggest regret about the relationship was that he had never actually told her that he loved her. It killed him to think he missed his chance.

Peeta's mother had made it clear the first time she met Katniss that she didn't like her. Throughout the dinner, his mother made snide remarks and made it clear that she thought Katniss was trash. Peeta had come from the better-off side of the town they lived in, and Katniss was never very well off. It didn't bother him at all, but Peeta's mother thought they were too good to have this kind of trash in their home, as she had put it.

His first visit to Katniss' home had been much better. Her parents were polite and kind, and obviously very much in love. Prim also liked him, and they had an easy dinner filled with chatter. He would occasionally look at Katniss and find her smiling and laughing, obviously most comfortable around him and her family. He thought it was the most beautiful that she had ever been.

Their physical relationship had never gone very far, as they were both virgins at the time and new to being in a relationship. They had been making out a few times, but always got interrupted by something. He was glad for it now, as they were young and stupid.

As a result of this though, he was still a virgin. He had breezed through school in Ireland, he was now in his final year, and it wasn't like he was an awkward, nerdy kid who didn't know how to talk to girls. He had loads of friends, both boys and girls, but he just never really felt the way for a girl that he felt for Katniss. He knew that Delly had had a crush on him, as she had admitted while they were drunk one night, but he was pretty sure that she was over it.

"Here you go, Mom."

He smiled at her as he handed her the trays of bread. That was the end of his work until two o' clock, so he decided to go back to his house to do some school work that he had to hand in on Monday. He completed the short walk to his house in a few minutes, and as he closed the door after him he noticed a letter on the floor in front of him that had been pushed in through the letter box on the door. He picked it up and inspected the stamp, which was unfamiliar at first glance, but then he realised that it was an American stamp. He looked for the return address, but soon realised that there wasn't one. He sat at the table and tore it open. He instantly recognised the slightly messy handwriting, and his heart was pounding in his chest.

_Peeta._

_I'm not really sure what I want to say in this. I hope you're OK. How is your mother? Tell her I say hello. Prim is fine, she's fifteen years old now. I'm doing a nursing degree, just like I've always wanted to. Did you keep painting? I hope you did, it would be such a shame to waste your talent. I wish you could meet my friend Finnick. He's like my brother, and you would like him. A ladies man, but a sweetheart under that. And Prim has a crush on him!_

_What I really wanted to say is that I miss you so much. I think about you every day. It may sound weird, like I'm some kind of stalker, but please tell me that you miss me too. If you remember me. I haven't had the best of luck with guys recently, to say the least. Some really bad things happened, and I just wanted to hear from you. You always knew how to make me feel better when I was down. Please write back to me. Please explain to me why you had to leave. It hurt. A lot. I know your mother didn't like me, but it wasn't bad enough to make her take you out of the country, was it? Just please write me one letter, or give me a phone call or something, I miss you so much._

_I know this letter isn't much, but I'm desperate. Please, Peeta, let me know that you're OK._

_Love, Katniss._

Holy. Crap.

Katniss had contacted _him._ He thought he was going to pass out, he could hear his blood pounding in his girl that he had been in love with since he had first laid eyes on her almost three years ago missed him. She had mentioned that she hadn't had the best of luck with guys, so that must mean that she was single. He hoped, anyway. He couldn't imagine her with anyone but him. They had been so good together. Katniss was strong minded and fiery, and Peeta was calm and more of a follower of the crowd, as opposed to a leader. Together, they levelled each other out. She gave him more confidence, while he reigned her confidence in. When they met, Katniss was loud and bubbly, but still somewhat reserved. She let people walk over her, and just befriended anyone who looked her way. By the time Peeta had to leave, Katniss was still outgoing, but had more of a mind of her own and didn't let anyone walk over her. _  
_

And then there were her parents. Her father died while they were together, and Peeta basically had to pick her up and put her back together again. He died in a car crash, but from head injuries. They were lucky that there was a body to bury. The other person that was in the car with them was bloody and mangled. Katniss held Peeta's hand tightly throughout the funeral, and only cried when they were alone in their house that night, after Prim had fallen asleep. He held her in his arms and whispered nothings in her ear, promising to look after her and not let her get hurt again. At the time, he had no idea that his mother would announce just one week later that they were moving away.

They left for the airport the next day, and all Peeta had been able to leave Katniss was a letter with an address scrawled on the back. It broke his heart when they had to move, and his mother never told him why. He suspected it was because his mother didn't like Katniss, but he didn't realise the extent of her hate until this all happened.

In that moment, holding the letter tightly in one hand, he decided that he had to see her again.

Peeta practically sprinted to his room and got out his laptop. He went on to the cheapest airline company website that he knew of, and booked the least expensive flight to America that he could find.

Next, he got out a pen and a piece of paper and began to write a reply.

_Katniss._

_I really didn't expect to hear from you. I'm so glad that you wrote though. I miss you a lot too. We're living in Dublin right now, me and my mother. School's OK, i only have September to go for some extra course thing, and then I'm free to go. Your friend Finnick sounds cool, and I'd love to meet him. I have some friends you'd like too, Delly and Marvel. They're like my brother and sister. I'm really sorry to hear that you haven't had good luck with guys. I don't know how anyone could mistreat you. I'd love to see how grown up Prim is too. She was always a sweetheart. I loved her like my own sister. _

_I really hope to see you soon. _

_Peeta x_

* * *

**A/N.**

**Well, there you have it! Peeta! I hope you guys liked it, it took a lot of time to write. And I also hope you liked the little insight into Katniss' personality and life and her parents, too. And sorry the letter was so short, didn't really know what else he could say! **

**Enjoy the chapter :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N.**

**Hey guys! Well you liked the last chapter so I think I'll do maybe half of this chapter in Katniss' POV and half in Peeta's POV :) **

**Enjoy x**

_Chapter 7 - August (in Katniss' POV)_

Katniss woke up early to the sound of her phone beeping on her bedside table, and she cursed whoever was texting her at eight o' clock on a Saturday morning. She picked up her phone and looked at the screen after rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

_Hey Kitty ;) wanna do something today? Prim can come along too! x_

Katniss smiled and began to type a reply.

_Sure, what? And why this early? I think Prim was meant to meet up with Rory today, so can he come too? There's definitely something going on between them. x_

Rory was a boy that had been in Prim's class for two years. Prim hadn't stopped talking about im for the first year, and Katniss had to put up with constant _'Rory said this!'_ or_ 'Guess what Rory did!'_. It took Prim up until a couple of months ago to pluck up the courage to talk to him, and they were practically inseparable since. The first time Prim had asked Katniss if she could go to Rory's house, Katniss had been a little worried. Prim begged for hours, and eventually she gave in. Katniss had driven her there and talked to his parents before she left, just incase. She had insisted that they weren't left alone for too long. It wasn't that she didn't trust Prim, but she knew what 14 year old boys could be like.

She got out of bed and threw on some clean clothes from her drawer. She put her hair in a braid over her left shoulder and looked in the mirror.

What she saw staring back at her almost disgusted her. She knew that she hadn't been eating properly since the incident with Cato, but she didn't realise how much of a toll it had taken on her. Her hipbones were sticking out and she could almost count her ribs through her shirt. Her hair was limp, even in her braid. Her eyes, which were usually bright grey, were dull and lifeless. Katniss decided that she would start eating regularly and socializing again. Finnick would make sure of it.

He always seemed to put her first. He was an only child, and his mother and father were a seven hour drive away. He didn't have many friends, but the people he was friends with were very close to him. Katniss suspected that, to compensate for not having any family at hand, this was the reason that he was always having so many one night stands and week long relationships. Katniss worried about him sometimes, but Finnick always insisted that he didn't care.

Her phone beeped again, pulling her out of her thoughts.

_Couldn't sleep, nightmares. Wanted to talk to you, cheer me up? Yeah Rory can come along, I wanna play the role of protective big brother ;) Scare the crap put of him haha! I was thinking beach? It looks pretty sunny :) x_

Katniss smiled. Finnick loved the beach and anything to do with the ocean. He had his first swimming lesson when he was three, and he said that he swam whenever he had the chance. It was still scorching outside, so Katniss took off her jeans and out on some shorts. She packed her bag with towels, a bathing suit, sunscreen and her camera. At the last minute she picked up a book and shoved it in, thinking that Prim and Rory will want some alone time and Finnick would spend most of his time in the water.

Then she realised that he had said he couldn't sleep because of nightmares. Katniss got worried. Finnick had suffered from nightmares as a result of a hit to the head that he got when he was ten. He had told her that he was running out of his house and he had fallen and hit his head off of the pavement. They had subsided lately, and Katniss was worried that they were coming back.

Katniss walked down the small hallway in her apartment and knocked on Prim's door. When she got no response, she opened the door and walked in to wake her. Prim looked so beautiful and peaceful while she was asleep, but Finnick was probably going to be here soon to pick them up.

"Prim," she said quietly, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Prim, wake up."

Prim's eyes slowly opened, and she scowled when she looked at the clock on her bedside table. "Why so early. Katniss?"

"Finnick's taking us to the beach. You can take Rory if you want." Prim perked up at this. She got out of bed and shooed Katniss out so that she could call Rory.

Katniss went into the kitchen to make breakfast for them, and jumped when she saw that Finnick was already sitting in the kitchen, helping himself to a bowl of cereal.

"Make yourself at home." Katniss said to him flatly. "This isn't why I gave you a key. That was for emergencies."

"This is an emergency. I was out of cereal," he mumbled through a huge mouthful.

* * *

They arrived at the beach and it was packed. Finnick pulled into a parking space and they jumped out, grabbing all of their bags and towels with them.

They found a good spot in the sun, and Finnick instantly discarded his shirt and ran into the water, calling for Katniss to follow him.

"Wait! I have to put on my bathing suit!" she shouted back to him as she dug through her bag looking for her bikini. She got it out and ran to the small make-shift changing rooms. She re-emerged a few minutes later, and was met with the sight of Prim and Rory making out on her towel. She approached them and coughed, and they sprang apart.

"Oh, uh, K-Katniss sorry, um, it just, uh, happened." Prim stuttered, while Rory's face turned the colour of a tomato.

"It's not that you guys are making out, just stop doing it in the middle of a crowded beach!" Katniss replied, trying to keep her anger in check. She knew that they liked each other a lot, and if she tried to come between them then Prim would resent her.

Katniss ran towards the water after Prim nodded and apologised again. She spotted Finnick talking to a girl who had a lot of make-up on, even though she was in the water. It annoyed her, as she wasn't about to play third wheel while they made out on the beach. She swam over to them and threw her arm around Finnick.

"Hey baby, who's your friend?" Katniss said, batting her eyelashes at him, and saying it in a tone that mad her want to be sick.

"Oh, uh, hey Katniss. This is Johanna." Finnick said, motioning to the short haired girl in front of them. She looked a bit shocked, but hid it well enough.

"Hi Johanna, it's nice to meet you. Come on Finnick, let's go back to the sand. Bye!" Katniss purred, internally cringing.

As they both lazily swam away, Finnick laughed.

"Care to explain what that was

* * *

about?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Hey, you took me here. I'm not about to sit on my own on the beach while you make out with some girl that you just met. Even if that means dragging your desperate ass away from her." Katniss glared at him while she said it, but Finnick knew her well enough to know that she was just joking with him.

They had a great day at the beach. Finnick taught Katniss how to do a handstand in the water, and Prim and Rory walked off holding hands and didn't re-appear for about an hour. When they did, they both looked pretty happy. They went to get ice-cream after, and Rory invited Prim to his house.

Finnick and Katniss were sitting in Katniss' living room eating a pizza tat they picked up after leaving Prim in Rory's house.

"So you still never told me what happened with Gale," Finnick asked while looking at her curiously.

"Oh, uh, yeah, um, it just didn't work out." Katniss replied, and she knew as soon as she looked at Finnick that he didn't fall for it.

"Come on. I know you better than anyone. You're lying," Finnick said to her, and then something dawned on him. "Did that son of a bitch do what Cato did? I swear to god I'll kill him!"

"No, no, it wasn't _that_ extreme. He just, uh, said some stuff when I wouldn't kiss him at the end of the night. And he said that Prim was a burden. It's no big deal, Finnick. Please don't do anything to him."

Anger flashed in his sea-green eyes. "What did he say to you, Katniss?"

Katniss looked away from him, avoiding eye contact. "He said that I'm a slutty tease. That it was no wonder that I'm a virgin."

* * *

Peeta sighed as he walked down the street. He was going to meet up with Delly for around the third time this week. She had been awfully clingy around him for the last month, ever since he had shown her the letter from Katniss, and his reply. When she saw it, he could have sworn he saw her face drop, but only for a second before she put on a huge smile and started telling him how great it was.

"Hey Peety!" Delly screamed at him when she saw him strolling towards her. Peeta cringed at the nickname that Delly thought he loved. Katniss had called him that once to tease him while they were joking around, and it just seemed strange coming from anyone else.

"Uh, hey Delly," he replied, flashing her a half-hearted smile. He had been working over time in the bakery to save up for flights to America, and it was beginning to take its toll on him.

"What's wrong?" Delly asked, pouting at him in a way that she must have thought was cute.

"Oh, nothing, just tired I guess. What time does the movie start?" he asked, changing the subject quickly.

"3, I think. Let's go inside." she replied, threading her arm through his and walking beside him. They each paid for the movie and their food, and sat down in the theater just as the movie was starting.

The movie was boring, and he was about to suggest going somewhere else when he looked at Delly and found her already looking at him, biting her lip. She leaned in and kissed him slowly. He was in shock, and his mind was blank. Delly scooted over as much as the cinema seats would allow, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Peeta still couldn't think, but eventually all of the pent-up hormones in his stupid eighteen year old body got the better of him. He started to kiss her back, and Delly opened her mouth, deepening the kiss. Their tongues moved together, and Peeta could feel himself getting a little bit _too_ excited, considering he was sitting in the middle of a cinema. And then a quiet voice began to surface in his sub-conscious.

_What would Katniss think?_

He came back to his senses, and pulled away suddenly.

"Oh God Delly, this was a mistake. We're friends." Peeta said, not making eye contact. "Just friends."

"I-I'm so- Oh god Peeta I'm sorry, it's just I r-really like you and I thought you liked me too and-"

Peeta cut her off, "It's OK Delly, can we maybe just pretend it never happened? I love you, but like a little sister."

"O-ok, um, I have to g-go now, uh, bye." She ran out of the theatre, and he heard a muffled sob just before he heard the door closing.

* * *

**A/N.**

**Hey! Hope you liked this chapter, thought I'd throw in a little complication with Delly. And a little hormone raged Peeta, sorry! But it had to be done. **

**Please, please, pleeaaase keep reviewing, it helps me write! Thank you :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N.**

**Hey guys! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, I think it was the longest one yet? Things really get going in this chapter, we have a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed sweetheart heading for USA! Oooh, and I read some new books over the last week, they're the Hush, Hush series. If you haven't read them, I highly recommend them! And also, I just realised that my profile said I was only fifteen, what? ahaha**

**Enjoy x**

* * *

_Chapter 8 - September_

_Peeta's POV_

This is it. Today's the day. Peeta was apprehensive as he sat on the almost empty bus headed for the airport. _What if Katniss doesn't want to see me?_ The same thought had been racing through his head for the past three days, and his mother hadn't been helping the situation much. And neither was Delly.

He had only told his mother that he was going back to America a week ago, and she had seemed surprisingly calm at the time. But then, two days ago, the snide remarks about Katniss started again. He hadn't even mentioned her, but she knew that he was going to see her.

And Delly was another problem entirely. After she kissed him, she called the next day, same old Delly, giggling down the phone to him as if nothing had happened. He knew she was still upset though. He had called her again last night and apologised, but Delly waved him off, claiming that it was his fault, and that they were too close for something like that. But then, same as her mother, she would throw in these little comments about Katniss.

_"She's really pretty. I bet she has a hot boyfriend."_

_"I wonder if she'll remember you."_

_"It might be awkward."_

He knew that she'd remember him, after all she had sent him a letter only a month or two ago. He had it tucked away in his wallet, and Peeta hadn't let it out of his sight since he received it. It was as if it was just a hallucination, and if he looked away for too long it would disappear.

Peeta realised that the bus had stopped, gathered up his luggage and set off towards the airport. He had managed to get Finnick's phone number - with great difficulty - and Finnick had reassured him that he could stay with Katniss. Peeta wondered whether or not there was something going on between Finnick and Katniss, something _more_ than either of them had disclosed. But then again, he doubted it. Why would Finnick have welcomed Peeta if he and Katniss were together?

* * *

The final call for Peeta's flight rang out over the airport, coming from the large speakers that he spotted in the corners. There were people everywhere, some serious looking business men and some clearly stressed mothers trying to keep their children under control. He also spotted a girl leaning next to one of the many bars. She was bleached blonde, and had on much more make-up than what must be good for her skin. She gave him what she thought must have been a flirtatious smile, but Peeta just found it creepy. He returned the smile but looked away almost instantly.

The queue to board was short, so he got a beside a rather cranky looking man almost straight away._ This was it. One flight and Katniss is at the other end of it._

* * *

Peeta fell asleep almost as soon as the plane took off, and woke up with just another 2 hours to go. He needed to go to the bathroom, and stood up. Peeta took a glance around the plane, and noticed a very familiar mop of curly blonde hair sitting a few rows back.

"Delly? What are you doing here?" Peeta hissed at her, slightly harsher than he intended to.

Delly's eyes shot up and met his, and she almost instantly turned bright red, stuttering over her words. "Oh-Uh-I-Um-I have, uh, relatives out here?" she stammered unconvincingly, making Peeta angry.

"Come here, _now_." Peeta couldn't believe this. He knew that Delly had feelings for him, but he didn't realise she was this _crazy_. This wasn't good. He already knew that she wasn't going to like Katniss.

They walked into the cramped bathroom space. "Care to explain?" Peeta asked somewhat coldly, trying to keep calm.

"Oh, Peeta, I was just worried. I mean, you can't expect to just show up at some girl's house when you haven't seen her in, like, _forever_, and expect her to just throw her arms around you and say she loves you. I just wanted to be a good friend. If she rejected you, how would you cope on your own? You don't know anyone. It wouldn't have been fair of me to send you on your own."

"I used to live there Delly, I do have friends. And Marvel has a cousin that I can stay with if things don't work out like I hope. I don't need you to control me like I'm your little doll or something!"

"It's not like that! I was just trying to be a good friend." Delly whimpered and stuck out her bottom lip, pouting like a child.

Peeta let out a long sigh and scrubbed his hands roughly over his face. "_Fine__. _You can stay with Marvel's cousin. But please, _please_, don't interfere with Katniss and I, OK?"

"Yay! Thank you Peety!" Peeta cringed, and Delly pulled him in for a slightly smothering hug.

They exited the bathroom and found their seats again, and Peeta felt his eyes beginning to droop again. He realise that the past few weeks had really taken their toll on him. He hadn't been getting as much sleep, and this is as much as he had gotten in almost a month.

* * *

Peeta woke to someone gently shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw one of the flight attendants. "We're landing in five minutes, sir." she said to him with a smile. Almost exactly five minutes later, the plane landed and Peeta was one of the first off. He decided that it would be good to wait for Delly, as much as he wanted to just _go. _Peeta met Delly at baggage claim, and they phoned for one of the airport cabs.

"I'm taking you to Marvel's cousin's house and then I'm going to Katniss' house, OK? Her friend Finnick is giving me a ride there."

"Can I not meet Katniss? _Pleeeaaaase?_" Delly whined indignantly.

"No, I'm going to see her first." Peeta replied, feeling annoyed once again about the fact that she was actually crazy enough to follow him to America.

"Fine." Delly huffed for the rest of the way there, giving him the silent treatment.

_Fine with me_, he thought.

The cab ride didn't take long, and they both hopped out in front of a large apartment complex. "Marvel's cousin is called Cinna, I think."

They took the stairs, as the elevator was out of service. It only took them five minutes to find the apartment, and they knocked on the door. A short man with pale brown skin and amber eyes opened the door.

"Hi, you must be Peeta. And who's your friend?" Cinna said with a smile.

"Oh, this is Delly. Is it OK if she stays with you for a while, until she can get a flight back out? There was a, uh, change of plan." Peeta asked nervously, knowing it was a lot to ask.

"Yes, yes, of course!" Cinna beckoned them in, but Peeta refused.

"I think I'm going to go and see Katniss straight away. Finnick texted me and said she was at home."

* * *

This was it. There was only a door separating Peeta and the girl he was undoubtedly in love with. Before he could stop himself, he reached up and gave a quiet knock on the door. He could hear voices inside and then footsteps, which were gradually getting louder. The door swung open.

Their eyes met, and it suddenly felt like they were in an empty space, with nothing else surrounding them.

"P-Peeta? What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, came to see you."

* * *

**A/N.**

**Well, there you guys have it! They've finally met! Ahhh young love, but you all know it won't be a smooth road. Hehe sorry!**

**I have big exams coming up along with music practicals (basically a performance exam) and a huge art project to complete, so updates may not be as frequent as I want them to be. But bare with me! I will see this through to the end.**

**Keep reviewing, maybe the more reviews I get the faster I'll update! They make me so happy :) Maybe if I get up to 40 reviews after this story it may motivate me to update a little sooner, yeah?**

**Love you guys!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N.**

**Well I took a little study break to get this chapter done, be grateful! ;) **

**Enjoy x**

* * *

_Chapter 9 - September (Katniss' POV)_

_What the hell?_ _Is this some kind of joke? He came to America just to see me. I think I'm going to pass out. _

Suddenly Prim popped her head outside the door and squealed when she saw Peeta standing there.

"PEETA!" she screamed, flinging her arms around his middle. Peeta laughed and hugged her back.

"Uh, Prim, can you go back inside please? We'll be in in a minute and you can catch up then." Katniss asked, trying to keep her vice steady.

Katniss was still in shock. Peeta looked amazing. He had gotten a little taller since the last time they had seen each other, and there as about a head of height between them. His blonde hair had darkened a bit, probably from the lack of constant sun. His eyes were still the same, though. Bright azure blue, highlighting his face. Katniss felt inadequate standing across from him. She was only wearing sweats and a thin grey t-shirt, she had no make-up on and her hair was in its usual messy braid down her left shoulder.

Prim pretended to huff and walked back inside, gently slamming the door.

"She's so grown up." Peeta commented, still smiling.

"Yeah. Sometimes it's like she's older than me. She even has a boyfriend." Katniss replied, beginning to shiver in the Autumn air.

"She must be, what, fifteen now? Time flies."

A slightly awkward silence fell over them, and Katniss blurted it out before she could stop herself.

"Why did you leave?"

Peeta's eyes snapped up and met hers, filling with regret. "Believe me Katniss, it wasn't my fault. My mother-"

"Did she take you away because she didn't like that we were together?"

"I-I think so, yes. But I've resented her every day of my life since we left. I missed you so much."

"What did I do?"

"Nothing, Katniss, my mother just thinks that anyone that she hasn't personally hand picked isn't good enough for me. But you _were _good enough."

"_Clearly not_. It broke me when you left. I spent weeks sitting alone in my apartment, not doing anything except for waiting for you to call me. But that didn't happen. I had to have my little sister see me as a shell of the person I used to be." Katniss knew that she was being a little irrational. But she didn't care. When she had written that letter she had been lonely and lovesick. Now she was just bitter.

"Let me make it up to you, _please._" Peeta looked like he was prepared to beg, and Katniss didn't want that. She wanted _him._ She wanted to be close to him, to have his lips on hers, and to have nothing to rip them apart. But there was a little voice at the back of her mind that told her that she wasn't good enough for him. That Katniss and love just didn't mix. That Peeta would find someone better, and she would be back to square one.

"Ok. But please, _please_, don't expect a relationship right now. It's been a rough year, and I just want some time."

"Anything if it will let me be at least your friend."

* * *

They went inside, and Peeta listened to Prim tell him stories about Rory, Finnick, and everyone else that she was now friends with. Katniss smiled and realised just how much she had missed him. Everywhere he went he brought an airy confidence and a bright ray of happiness. You just couldn't help but love him. And that was the problem.

Katniss brought in the coffee she had made for herself and Peeta, along with Prim's soda. They talked easily until it was dark outside and well past midnight. Prim announced that she was going to bed.

"Ok you two lovebirds, I want to sleep so keep it down," Prim winked at them, and Katniss choked on the sip of water she had been swallowing. Peeta went bright red, but smiled shyly.

"You said to me how much it broke you when I left. It broke me too, you know. When we moved in to our new house, I would lock myself away and just stay there, alone, for hours on end. It went on like that for weeks. Eventually I made new friends, and met girls but none of them compared to you. I swear. If everything had of gone my way I would never have left the states."

Peeta's blunt honesty startled Katniss. She was just about to reply when her glass of water slipped out of her hand, shattering on the wooden floor.

"Shit!" Katniss muttered as she got up to grab a towel. Peeta followed and got one aswell, and he began to help her clean it up. Katniss set about picking up the glass, and Peeta mopped up the water. She suddenly felt a sharp pain on her right index finger, and when Katniss looked down there was an inch long gash running down the outside of it. It didn't look too deep, to her relief.

Peeta saw it, and grabbed her good hand, leading her into the kitchen. Katniss sat on the bench and Peeta went about looking for a bandage.

"They're in the top left cupboard. Over there." Katniss directed him throughout, teaching him how to properly bandage it. This is what she was almost fully trained to do, after all.

"Ok, all better now. Does it hurt?" Peeta asked, concern shining in his eyes, making him even more endearing.

"A little," Katniss confessed. But it hurt a lot more than that, it was throbbing and sharp.

Slowly, Peeta gently lifted her hand and placed a small kiss on her finger, never breaking eye contact with Katniss. He placed her hand back on the counter, and then realised the position that they were in. Katniss was sitting on the kitchen bench, with Peeta in between her legs. Their faces were inches apart, and before she realised what she was about to do, Katiss began to lean in towards him.

Her eyes were still open, and there was almost no space left between their lips. Her eyes closed, but then she had a horrible flashback. Peeta's face was no longer in front of hers, but instead it was Cato's. Bright blue eyes were replaced with a blue that was smoky and uninviting.

Katniss froze. Their lips were just barely touching, and she jerked her head back. "Stop, stop!" Peeta opened his eyes and stepped back. Katniss could feel her face turning pale, and her heart was hammering in her chest. She jumped off the counter and a dry sob escaped her chest. Peeta's face crumbled, and she could see the rejection and hurt in his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," was all that Katniss could get out before she fled the room and locked her bedroom door.

* * *

**A/N. **

**Oooh drama! You gotta feel for Katniss though :( **

**Well my head was going to explode if I studied for any longer, so I decided to be nice and treat you guys to this chapter.**

**Hope you liked it!**

**And can we maybe get up to 50 reviews before the next chapter is posted? Because that would be amazing!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N. **

**Took another study break (the things I do for you guys!) so I could write this! This is from Peeta's point of view, but more in his thoughts that the previous ones have been.**

**Ooooh, I also realised I haven't done a disclaimer, I don't own anything! All of these amazing characters beling to Suzanne Collins!**

**Enjoy x**

* * *

_Chapter 10 - September (Peeta's POV)_

_What the hell was that? I was this close, this close, to kissing her, and she just freaked out and ran away. I could hear her crying for hours in her room, and I still have no idea what is going on. It was amazing, our lips were just touching and I swear I could feel a spark pass through us, and then she looked into my eyes and pushed me away. I'll admit, I may have been overstepping my boundaries since she told me not to try anything, but I thought it was what she wanted? _

Peeta had been having an internal war with himself ever since he had arrived. One side of him wanted to do nothing but march right up to Katniss, tell her he loves her, and kiss her like they did a couple of years ago. But the other half knew it was a bad idea. Katniss had made it pretty clear that she had almost hated him for leaving, and he needed to repair that damage first.

Katniss had said in her letter that she hadn't had the best of luck with guys, and that some stuff happened. Maybe that was the problem. He needed to talk to Finnick and work this out. It seemed like he knew Katniss more than anyone else. Peeta quickly typed out a text and sent it, just as Katniss appeared in the kitchen in her pyjamas and with her hair in a cute messy braid.

Peeta smiled. "Hey."

Katniss' eyes shot up and met his, and she instantly looked away again. "Oh, uh, hey, I'm sorry about last night, it's just that, well, I just.. Don't want to rush things."

"It's ok. Are you sure you're good though? You sounded pretty upset last night. If you want to talk, I'm here."

Katniss visibly relaxed and smiled back at him, making butterflies rise in his stomach.

They made breakfast in silence, and Prim joined them a while later. "What are your plans for the day, Peeta?" she asked.

"Oh, um, going to visit some old friends I guess. You guys?"

"I have work." Katniss groaned. Prim smiled at her.

"I'm meeting up with Rory, is that ok?" Prim asked timidly, batting her eyelashes at Katniss.

"Fine, but I better not find you guys sucking face again. Especially not in public!" Katniss shot a glare at Prim, causing her to blush and look away.

"Sorry," she mumbled back, still avoiding eye contact. Peeta grinned at how comfortable Prim and Katniss were around each other. Most people he knew would kill for a relationship like that with their siblings. It was just a pity the circumstances they were in. No dad, and a mother that was miles and miles away, and still traumatised over the death of her husband.

Peeta looked after Katniss in the weeks after her fathers death, and it broke his heart over and over again to see her that broken and sad. In the first week he spent days at a time in their house, not even going home sometimes. Their mother was too far gone to care, just sitting in her bedroom holding on to one of her husband's shirts. Prim spent a lot of time outside, sitting underneath the large trees that towered over the house, staring at photos of their previously normal family. Katniss wouldn't even bother to get dressed, wearing the same clothes for three or four days at a time. They would sit on the couch, mostly in silence, with Katniss wrapped in Peeta's arms. Sometimes uncontrollable sobs wracked her body, and sometimes she just sat in silence, muttering the occasional "I can't believe he's gone."

It made him proud to see how strong Katniss was today. The only thing that had changed was her emotional availability. When they first met, Katniss let him in to her life without hesitating; now it was completely different. Katniss had barely told him anything about her personal life the other night. The conversation had safely stayed in the territory of Prim, jobs and college. Nothing about her mother, if she had a boyfriend, or what she was referring to in her letter when she said 'bad things had happened.' This worried Peeta. She clearly wasn't the same Katniss that he had left in America two years ago, and he would have to find out why.

* * *

Katniss left for work, taking Prim with her, at about eleven, and Finnick arrived ten minutes later.

"Hey, man! Great to finally meet you!" Finnick greeted him as soon as he was in the door, surprising Peeta with a hug.

"Oh, uh, hey Finnick, it's good to meet you too."

They talked easily, and they both figured out that they had a lot in common. Surprisingly, Finnick was a fan of British soccer, supporting the same team as Peeta did. They both liked the same type of indie-folk music, and they liked all the same kind of movies.

"So, give me all the dirty details on Katniss!" Finnick said through a mouthful of pizza, throwing him a smirk.

"I honestly wish I had something to tell. Almost happened, but she spooked and ran off. Did she say anything? Did I do anything?" Peeta replied, growing concerned.

Finnick's face fell. "I was worried that would happen."

"Why? What happened?" Peeta asked, getting more anxious by the second.

"Look, it isn't really my place to tell you any of this, but some really, _really _bad stuff happened to Katniss recently. Stuff that shouldn't happen to anyone at all, especially not Katniss. It's been a tough year for her, and you just need to be patient with her. Please don't give up on her." Finnick explained, his green eyes filling with concern.

"What happened to her?"

"I really can't tell you, it's Katniss' decision if and when she wants to tell you. And I think she will. But please don't pressure her. She wants you to be here, but she just isn't great at showing her feelings. Give her time. Be a friend to her and rebuild the trust, ok?"

"Ok."

* * *

Peeta got home just a few minuted before Katniss was due to finish work. He began to think of ways to try and get Katniss to open up to him._ A date maybe? Nothing too formal, just a casual dinner._

Peeta heard the door open a few minutes later, and Katniss walked in and gave him a nervous smile.

"Hey, Peeta. How were your friends?" she asked him.

"Oh, uh, they were good. I missed them a lot. I was actually wondering if-" The phone rang suddenly, cutting him off. Katniss looked at the caller ID and smiled.

"Hey, Haymitch." Peeta heard a voice coming down the line but couldn't make out what it was saying.

"You're_ what?_ Well when's the wedding? This is so great!" Katniss was laughing and grinning from ear to ear. Suddenly her face fell.

"Why? Prim can be my date. Well invite Rory separately and they can stay together all day! This isn't fair. If I don't want to bring a date I shouldn't have to."

Peeta thought he faintly made out the words _"Finnick doesn't count"_ and something along the lined of _"I heard loverboy's in town."_

"Well congratulations, but this whole date thing isn't over, ok?" Katniss huffed and hung up.

"Well my uncle just got engaged to his girlfriend of only three months. She is absolutely bat shit crazy, but they love each other so I guess that's all that matters, huh? Her name's Effie or something weird like that." Katniss explained, still not smiling but with a distinct twinkle in her eye.

"That's great! When's the wedding?" Peeta asked, not daring to ask about the date issue.

"They're thinking December, but haven't set a date yet. Knowing Effie though, it will probably be something cheesy like New Year's Eve. _And_ he said I have to bring a date. What am I going to do? No one in their right mind is going to want to go to a wedding over the holiday season. Especially not with me." Katniss whined, looking perplexed.

Peeta hesitated. He could just blurt it out, or be subtle. He knew the latter was the better option, but Peeta knew that subtlety wasn't exactly his strong point.

"Well, uh, I could, uh, b-be your d-date? Only if you want to, I mean there's absolutely no pressure at all. And it would be in a totally friendly way."

Katniss smiled at how flustered he was. "Ok, you can be my date. I mean, my friend-slash-date."

Peeta breathed a sigh of relief. That had been so much easier than he had thought it would be.

* * *

**A/N.**

**Well haaay! Got 50 reviews so here's your update, and I wanna give a special little shoutout to _Beautiful Lie 5105_ for all the lovely reviews, they just made my day when I saw them :) Hope you guys like the whole Haymitch/Effie thing, and someone asked when Annie's coming in. I'm not sure how just yet but don't worry, she'll come and cause some trouble! **

**Ooohhh, and I know my updates haven't been as frequent as I would have liked and the chapters are a little short, but I have a performance exam coming up and I have literally been spending all of my free time sitting at my piano trying to get everything perfected. Things are a little stressful, but give me a few weeks and I'll be back on track with the updates!**

**Love you all x**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N.**

**We have progress! Yaaaaaay! Still spending all of my free time at my piano but my neck started to hurt so I used that as an excuse to take a little break, just for you guys hehe! So do you guys think Katniss will let Peeta in or will she regret the whole date decision? Let's find out!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :(**

**Enjoy x**

* * *

_Chapter 10 - October (Katniss' POV)_

"HOLY SHIT!" Prim squealed, waking Katniss up from the sleep she had apparently slipped into while she was sitting beside Prim and Peeta on the couch, watching Skyfall.

"Prim! Don't say that!" Katniss scowled at her.

"Katniss! Haymitch and Effie set a date! The wedding's in two weeks!" Prim looked like she was about to burst with excitement. Katniss swore she could even feel Peeta grinning beside her. It seemed that she was the only one who wasn't looking forward to this wedding. Having to buy some dress that she would probably only ever wear once, having to wear make-up, and having to smile and pose for pictures. And then there was the date issue.

Katniss had increasingly regretted accepting Peea's date offer since the day it had happened, but not for the usual reasons. She really liked Peeta. He was even funnier and more charming than he was two years ago, something that Katniss had thought would be impossible. He was the perfect man, really. But there were still two voices nagging her in the back of her mind; One reminded her every second that she and Peeta were together that Katniss didn't deserve love. That she was incapable of anything outside of family love, like the kind she had for Prim and Finnick. And the second voice was Cato's. It was a voice that told her that Cato would always be there, not in body but in her mind, to scare her off from any kind of love or romance.

Katniss still hadn't told Peeta what had happened her before he came to America, and it made her feel incredibly guilty. He hadn't pushed her to talk about anything, and that made her want to tell him more. But every time she opened her mouth, the right words just stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.

"Oh wow, that's great Prim! We need to get you a dress!" Katniss smiled as convincingly as she could manage, but it was poor at best.

"About that, Rory got me a dress for my birthday already. I didn't show it to you because I thought you might not like it." Prim looked almost embarrassed, and Katniss didn't understand why Prim wouldn't want her to see it.

"Well, let me see it! Go put it on and show us." Katniss ordered with a more genuine smile.

Prim relaxed. "Ok, be right back."

Prim ran out of the room in the direction of her bedroom, and Peeta got up to get a glass of water.

"So, are you sure you still want me to be your date? I mean there's absolutely no pressure at all." Peeta shouted from the kitchen.

Kantiss hesitated. She could back out now and please the little nagging voice in her head, or she could just go for it; the latter seemed lie a better idea for some reason. Peeta, sensing her hesitation, reappeared in the living room.

"Look, Katniss, don't worry about me. Seriously, if you don't want to go with me just say the word and I'll stay at home." Katniss smiled at how sweet he was being.

"No, Peeta, I still want you to go. I'm gonna get Prim to take me shopping tomorrow, so can you and Finnick go and rent a tux or something? Haymitch told me yesterday that he was invited to the wedding too."

"Yeah, no problem." Peeta smiled at her, and once again Katniss found herself lost in his amazing eyes. Just then, prim re-entered the room, looking more grown up than Katniss had ever thought possible. Katniss felt her jaw go slack. She was wearing a fitted, grey-pink embellished dress that stopped just a few inches above her knee. The embellishments were silver and blue, forming ornate curves and curls, which had to be hand sown. It had elbow length sleeves, and Prim had a pair of high heeled shoes on that were exactly the same colour as the dress.

"Wow, Prim, that dress is beautiful!" Katniss exclaimed.

Prim blushed red. "Are you sure it's not too much? And the shoes? I got them on sale a couple of weeks ago, right after Rory gave me the dress."

"Yes, I love it." Katniss smiled warmly at her, and then realised that all of the focus would be on her when they were dress shopping, now that Prim already had a dress. "That reminds me, will you come dress shopping with me tomorrow?"

Prim squealed happily. "Of course, Katniss! Ohh I can't wait!"

* * *

Prim and Katniss entered the tiny mall early on Saturday morning. Katniss wanted to go early so that she wouldn't run in to anyone she knew before they got the dress.

"Ok, over there. The middle one." Prim was pointing to a yellow, knee length dress in the window of the only dress shop in the mall.

"Definitely not. No chance. Nothing yellow." Prim sighed and gave an exaggerated _fine_. "Let's go in and look at the others."

They walked in to the shop, and Katniss was met with a bright array of colours. There were dresses of every style, shape, length and colour. Her eyes immediately fell on a forest green, silk floor length dress. But Prim had other ideas.

"Here, try this one on!" Prim shoved a dress at her. It was a very light, muted, sunset orange, and Katniss instantly recognised the colour. It was Peeta's favourite.

Katniss smiled at Prim and told her to go get some shoes for her to try on, an when her back was turned she also grabbed the green dress that she had first spotted. It was worth a try, at least. She entered the empty dressing rooms and hung the two dresses up on the rack. Now that she had gotten a good look at it, Katniss thought the orange one was a beautiful dress. The dress was very elegant, but in a good way. The band sat right above Katniss' waist, and fitted beautifully on her upper body. The neck of the dress was tied high up and sats on her shoulders neatly, and there is a small triangle shaped slit right above the waistband.

Katniss decided to try that one on first. She took off her clothes as quickly as possible, and slipped into the dress. It fitted perfectly, and hung down to a few inches above her knees. Katniss turned around and looked in the long mirror, and decided that this was the dress. There was no need to try on the other one. This was the one, for sure.

"Prim?" Katniss poked her head around the curtain and spotted Prim coming towards her with two pairs of shoes in hand. One pair was the same colour as the dress Katniss had on, And one pair was green, meaning Prim must have seen her pick up the green dress. "What do you think?"

Katniss stepped out, and Prim gasped. "Katniss! You look so beautiful!" Prim looked as if she might cry. She handed her the orange shoes, which looked a little higher than Katniss could have handled. The shoes were the perfect colour, had a peep-toe and a platform, with a thin heel. Katnis slipped them on, and had to admit that they were a lot more comfortable than they looked.

Prim gave her a huge smile; a look pf pride on her face. "This is going to be so amazing! You look stunning. Peeta's not going to be able to stay away from you."

* * *

Prim and Katniss got back to their apartment, and Prim went straight to her room to try on the new clothes that she had bought. Katniss started towards the kitchen, but could hear voices coming from inside it. She instantly made them out to belong to Finnick and Peeta.

"I don't know what's going on, to be totally honest. One minute she's completely in to me, and the next she's freaking out and pushing me away. I want her so much, you have no idea. This is killing me." Katniss knew that the voice belonged to Peeta, and she felt her heart drop. It was all true. Katniss had been giving him mixed signals for the past month.

Sometimes, when Prim was in bed, They would be sitting on the couch, and Katniss would end up in Peeta's arms. There had been no kiss, but it scared Katniss how safe and right she felt in his arms. She hadn't felt anything like that since before her father had died. When this thought crept in to her head, Katniss would abruptly get up and leave the room.

"Give her time, that's all she needs. I know it's frustrating but please don't let this go. She's been so happy since you arrived, I've never seen her like this." Finnick replied, and Katniss smiled. That was also true. Katniss found that the cloud that had constantly been hanging over her head since her father died had cleared away.

"Yeah, I know. Maybe she might open up to me at the wedding."

Katniss decided that she would. She would explain to Peeta, at the wedding, why she was so broken.

* * *

**A/N. **

**Soooo there you go! The next chapter will be the wedding, and we might get to see a little more of what's been going on inside Katniss' head recently. Keep reviewing! They make me happy! Ohh and my exams officially started today, so updates may be a little slow, but I'll try my best. I promise!**

**Love you guys x**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N.**

**Well hey! My first exam went really well (I think). It was English, which is my best subject, so fingers crossed that I get a good grade! Wish me luck! Oh, and I decided to do a kind of competition type thingy! Just tell me in the reviews something that you'd like to happen in the story, and I'll pick my favourite. Whoever comes up with the idea will, of course, get full credit! Please please pleeeeaaaase do it! There's a new character coming in to stir some shit up in this chapter, so prepare yourselves! **

**Enjoy x**

* * *

_Chapter 12 - October Part II_

Katniss had had butterflies in her stomach all morning. When she got up at seven, she walked in on Peeta when he had just gotten out of the shower with nothing but a towel on, which hung low on his hips. Katniss couldn't help her eyes from wandering to the v-lines that descended down from the bottom of his abdomen. Then she came to her senses and mumbled an apology, slamming the door behind her. She was pretty sure that she was still blushing.

The butterflies had started then, and only increased when she overheard Finnick and Peeta talking again.

"I have a feeling something good's gonna happen tonight. Like something really good. I'm sure there will be lots of hot, single, desperate ladies there looking for some _loving."_ Finnick drawled, making Katniss cringe from the other side of the door.

"You're disgusting, Finn. _Anything with a pulse_._" _Katniss laughed at Peeta's response, but stopped when she heard Finnick talking again.

"I have a feeling something's gonna happen for you and Katniss tonight, too. Peeta's gonna get some ass!" Katniss scowled, and waited for Peeta's response. And _boy,_ did it shock her.

"Don't talk like that. I respect her too much. And about that, I.. I've never, uh, never done.. _that._" Katniss could practically feel him blushing, and the butterflies in her stomach got even worse. He was a _virgin._ A part of her was a little relieved. At least Katniss knew that he hadn't been a complete ladies man in Ireland.

"NO WAY! Well, well, Peeta hasn't lost the V-card yet. I gotta say, I'm a little surprised. I thought you were maybe with that Delly chick before you came here. She is _annoying._" Katniss flushed with rage at the mention of Delly. She had first met Delly when she came round to her apartment looking for Peeta. Since then, she had been clinging to him like glue.

"Ugh don't even go there. A few weeks before we came her, she kissed me and told me she likes me. _And_ I turned her down. She didn't take it well. She even followed me to America. I mean, who does that? She is crazy." Katniss felt a pang of jealousy at this, knowing that Delly had kissed Peeta and obviously still liked him.

Katniss knew that she had to do something about all this, and soon.

* * *

Katniss slipped on her dress after Prim had done her hair and make-up. They were all leaving for the wedding in twenty minutes, and Katniss could hear Prim freaking out downstairs about Finnick's tie, or something like that. Katniss smiled, slipped on her shoes, and took one last look in the mirror. She smiled at her reflection, and said a silent prayer that he din't fall down the stairs in these heels.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Peeta was standing in the hallway on his own, looking in the mirror; trying, and failing to tie his tie. Katniss was glad that he didn't notice her at first, so she could fully appreciate him in his suit. It was plain black, with a white shirt and a simple black tie.

"Want some help?" Katniss asked, startling Peeta. Peeta whipped his head around and looked at her. His jaw went slightly slack. He stared at her for a few seconds, and then stuttered out something that Katniss couldn't understand.

"What?"

"I said you look beautiful. And yes, I would like some help with the tie, please." He looked flushed. Katniss made her way over to him, grabbed each end of the tie, and began to fasten it. Even in her heels, Katniss was still much shorter than Peeta. She looked up from the tie and caught him staring at her. His blue eyes were piercing hers, and she kept her eyes open until their lips touched. Her eyes fluttered closed, and Katniss' hands came off the tie and rested on his chest. Peeta lifted his hands and put them on Katniss' waist, but almost instantly they got interrupted by Finnick barging in saying something about how Prim was crazy. They sprang apart, and Finnick realised what he had walked in on.

"Shit! I am so, so, sorry! But we really need to go, or Prim is going to make my head explode." Katniss was blushing furiously, but Peeta had a huge grin on his face when she looked up at him.

* * *

The church service was small, intimate and sweet. It was held in a country-side church a few miles outside of town, and the autumn leaves made it perfectly picturesque for the wedding photos.

The hotel, however, was a completely different affair. It was huge, bigger than any hotel Katniss had ever seen. The room the reception was in was bigger than her entire apartment, and it was incredibly elegant and beautiful.

Effie's dress was possibly the most gorgeous wedding dress that Katniss had ever seen. It had a fitted bodice , which was covered in detailed lace. The skirt flared out from the waist down, and it was covered in tiny diamonds. Her honey-blonde hair was curled loosely and piled on top of her head, and from what she could see, she had gone for the mostly natural look with her make-up. She was the most beautiful bride Katniss had ever laid eyes on. Haymitch actually looked happy for once. He was totally sober, his blue eyes were bright and happy, and they never left Effie.

"Hey." Katniss turned around to see Finnick standing behind her.

"Hey yourself. Enjoying the day?"

"Yeah, it's been ok. I was never really one for weddings. But I have my eye on one of the bridesmaids." Katniss cringed. All of the bridesmaides must have been at least five years older than Finnick.

"Whatever, enjoy yourself. And don't get too drunk!" Finnick laughed, and then turned serious.

"How are things with you and Peeta?" He asked.

Katniss smiled. "Good. I think I'm gonna fill him in on everything. It hasn't been fair to keep him out for this long."

"That's great. If anyone deserves to know, it's him." Finnick said with a smile.

"Are you sure you're ok with this? You two seem to have quite the bromance going on. I wouldn't want you to feel left out now, Finnick." Katniss teased with a sly smile.

Finnick chuckled. "I think I can let him go. Just for you." Finnick walked off, and Katniss spotted Peeta talking to Haymitch. She approached them, and they appeared to be talking about football.

"Hey you guys. How's it going?" They both turned around, and Peeta smiled shyly at her.

"Great. Effie looks beautiful, doesn't she?" Haymitch smiled, clearly blissfully happy.

"Yeah, she does. You're really lucky."

* * *

Peeta and Katniss were sitting at a table on their own while everyone else was dancing along to the band. Katniss' shoes had been discarded long ago, and Peeta's tie and jacket had come off. She then spotted Finnick and realised that Peeta's tie was wrapped around his head. He was dancing animatedly with Prim, clearly a little tipsy.

"So did you have a girlfriend back in Ireland?" Katniss blurted out, surprised at herself.

"Oh, uh, no, I didn't. Did you have any boyfriends?" He replied, curious.

"Yeah, there was a guy called Cato." Katniss' voice faltered on his name. "He was.. _nice_ at first, but then he turned a little nasty."

Peeta didn't want to push any further, but Katniss looked like she wanted to keep going. "What happened?"

"He kept trying to pressure me.. into having sex with him. I didn't want to, but he kept insisting that we should just get it over with. I kept saying no, and I know I should have ended things with him, but he got along so well with Prim. She loved him. I just didn't have the heart to do it. Then, one night, a few weeks after my eighteenth birthday, he asked me again. I said no, as usual. Usually he just brushes it off and pretends he never asked. This time, though, he stormed out. He came back later that night, and he was drunk. He looked pretty upset, as if he'd done something wrong. He started rambling on about how he did something really bad, and how he had fucked up. Then, he told me that he had met this girl, and slept with her at the bar."

Peeta looked like he was bubbling up with rage. "That son of a-"

"There's more." Katniss cut him off. "This is where it gets bad. I don't.. I don't know if I want to talk about this here and now. Just please, please know that that's why I've been pushing you away." Katniss felt tears burning the back of her eyes, and she looked away.

"Hey, hey, it's ok." Peeta took her in to his arms and gave her a tight hug.

They stayed like this for several minutes until all of the tears had cleared. Then, they joined everyone else on the large dance floor in the center of the room. After a few songs, and some terrible dance moves on Peeta's behalf, a slow ballad began and everyone split into couples. Finnick was dancing with one of the bridesmaids, Prim was dancing with Rory, and Haymitch and Effie were talking quietly at the main table, looking as in love as always.

Peeta held out his hand, and Katniss took it. At first, they swayed awkwardly, but then they got more comfortable. Peeta pulled Katniss towards her, and Katniss rested her head on his chest.

Katniss then noticed a small figure standing in the doorway of the reception room. She was wearing a sea green, silk dress, had chocolate brown hair and bright green eyes, which were extremely similar to Finnick's.

And then she realised who it was.

Annie.

* * *

**A/N.**

**Weeeeeeell there you have it! Peeta and Katniss are making progress, Prim's growing up and Annie's back! Shit will hit the fan for Finnick in the next chapter, so stay tuned haha! I love you guys, please keep reviewing!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry about the cliff hanger in the last chapter, but my mum came into the room and told me if I didn't start studying I couldn't go out next weekend! So yeah, it had to be done! Annie's gonna cause a few problems in this chapter I think, so happy reading!**

**Enjoy x**

* * *

_Chapter 13 - October Part III_

_Katniss POV_

Katniss heard Finnick give a strangled cry, and looked over at him. His face was crumpled and stricken, yet Annie looked completely calm. Katiss stormed over, seeing red.

"What are you doing here?" Katniss spat at her.

"Effie invited me." That was all she said before she began to make her way over to Finnick. Everyone else in the room was unaware of what was happening, as everyone was still dancing and talking happily.

Annie approached Finnick smoothly, and Katniss followed.

"Hey, Finnick." Annie smiled at him, but Finnick was frozen. He looked confused, and a little sad.

"What.. What are you doing here?" Finnick choked out, clearly still dazed.

Annie seemed to consider his question. She looked calm and cool, but her eyes were slightly panic stricken. She then closed her eyes, gave her head a slight shake, opened them again and grabbed Finnick's hand. She pulled him quickly out of the room, and Katniss began to follow before Peeta grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Leave them to talk, you know Finnick will tell you everything after." Katniss sighed and returned to her table. Peeta sat down beside her and looked at her sadly.

"What did she do to Finnick?" Peeta asked gently.

"They were together for a year, and Finnick loved her more than anything. He was completely head over heels. I thought she loved him aswell. At first, she was one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. Always polite, and she was never jealous of mine and Finnick's friendship. We would all go out together, and she never made you feel like a third wheel, she made it feel like three best friends all the time."

"So why don't you like her?" Peeta asked.

"I loved her at first, but then, after about seven months, she started to become a little distant. Every time Finnick wanted to hang out with her, she always seemed to be busy. So he would just hang out with me. Annie didn't like it at all. She didn't say anything for about a month, but then she would start making these comments about how Finnick and I were a little close to be _just friends._ Both of us denied it, because it wasn't true."

"Even I know that would be totally weird for you and Finnick." Peeta replied, looking perplexed.

"Yeah, believe me, it was. After that, she would just cling to Finnick like glue. I didn't get to see him alone for more than ten minutes every week. I gave them some space, hoping that Annie would let up, but she didn't. About a week before she announced that she had gotten a job in England, I saw her with another guy in town. I thought he was just a friend, so I went to leave. Then, they kissed. It was way more than a friendly peck."

"Woah." Peeta looked genuinely surprised, and Katniss didn't blame him.

"I was going to tell Finnick, but then a week later Annie announced that she was leaving. I didn't have the heart to tell him, he was already so broken." Katniss finished, feeling drained. She had never,_ ever_, told that to anyone, but she trusted that Peeta wouldn't tell Finnick.

"She sounds like kind of a bitch." Peeta laughed, but it was humourless.

Finnick re-entered the room then, and it was obvious that he had been crying. Annie came in a few minutes later, still looking content and calm. She made her way over to Katniss and Peeta, giving them a smile. Annie took a seat across from them.

"Hi Katniss, good to see you again. How are you?" Annie gave them a sickly sweet smile

"Good." Katniss' voice was clipped.

"Well I just couldn't wait to see Finnick." This made Katniss snap. She got up, walked over to Annie's side of the table and took the seat directly next to her. Annie turned to face her, and Katniss gave a venomous smile.

Katniss lowered her voice to a harsh whisper so everyone couldn't hear them. "Listen up. Finnick was fine before you came here. He doesn't need you, and he never did. He doesn't need you clinging to him like glue twenty four seven. He doesn't need you being a sneaky little slut and cheating on him _again._ So, if you know what's good for you, I would leave him alone and do _not_come back here. Because, I swear to whatever God you think is holy, it will not end well for you if you stay. I didn't tell Finnick how much of a two-timing _whore_ you are, but, believe me, I will if you lay a finger on him. Got it?"

Annie's face fell. Her face turned pale. "H-how do you know about that?"

"It's a small town, Annie. You couldn't seriously believe that you could cheat on him and someone wouldn't see you. I thought teachers were smart?" Katniss was giving her a challenging smile, and Annie backed down. She got up and left the table, heading in the direction of Finnick, who was being consoled by Prim.

What Annie did shocked Katniss to her very core. Katniss thought Annie was giving Finnick one last goodbye, but instead she tiped Finnick's chin up and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips. When she pulled away, she flashed Katniss a sly smile and stalked out of the room.

Then Katniss understood why she did it; it was a challenge. Annie knew how much Katniss cared for Finnick. That also meant that Annie presumed Katniss wouldn't tell Finnick what she had done.

Katniss stood up and went in the same direction that Annie had gone, and Peeta followed. When they reached the lobby, Annie was already gone. Katniss crumbled. She began to cry, and Peeta took her in his arms and Peeta held her until she stopped.

"I can't tell Finnick, Peeta, I just can't. It'll destroy him." Peeta nodded.

"Katniss, you have to tell him. Annie's clearly no good for him. I can tell him if you want to." Katniss shook her head at this.

"No, I have to tell him, but thank you." Katniss smiled up at him, and leaned in to kiss him. This time, though, they didn't get interrupted. Katniss threw her arms around Peeta's neck and Peeta wrapped his arms around her waist. Peeta opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue over hers. Katniss groaned, and pulled away.

"Let's go home."

* * *

**A/N.**

**Awwwww! So there you have it, Peeta and Katniss are so cute, but Annie's a bitch. I'm kind of in the same situation with a really good friend of mine, he has a girlfriend who is a total bitch to me because she thinks there's something going on between me and him . I don't have the heart to tell him though, so this chapter was kind of me venting a little bit hehe! I hope you guys enjoyed it though!**

**Oh by the way, this has been three chapters in three days, and it's to make up for the coming week when I have more exams, and a piano exam to top it all off :( Keep reviewing please!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Well.. Shit has officially hit the fan for my life. Studying isn't going well, my hands and neck hurt from playing the piano all the time, and, kind of ironically, I met up with the friend I had with the bitchy girlfriend right after I posted the last chapter. He told me he knew something was up with me, I told him about his girlfriend, we ended up kissing. This isn't good. I'm emotionally hungover and extremely overwhelmed with everything that's going on in my life and writing usually relieves stress, so you're getting lots of new chapters! Lucky for you guys, not so great for me. **

**Enjoy** **x**

* * *

_Chapter 13 - October_

Peeta and Katniss got a cab home together. Prim was going to stay at Rory's house that night, which Katniss had made sure would be supervised by adults at _all times,_ so her and Peeta were alone. It was a little past two in the morning, and Katniss could feel exhaustion creeping in. Her feet were sore from wearing those shoes and her hair was no longer curly, just slightly wavy and limp.

Peeta followed her in to the apartment, grabbed her wrist and turned her towards him.

"You looked beautiful tonight." he said, before fusing his lips to hers. Peeta backed her up against the wall, resting his hand on her hips. Katniss pulled him closer, not wanting to have any space left between them. Peeta responded by wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close to him, never breaking the kiss.

There was no doubt that Katniss was enjoying this, but those nagging voices re-appeared in her mind for the first time in weeks.

_You don't seriously think he likes you, do you?_

_He only wants one thing: Sex. When he gets that, you know he'll leave. Just like Cato._

Katniss panicked and pulled her mouth away from Peeta's, letting out a quiet sob. "Stop. Please."

Peeta's eyes were open, and Katniss could see them fill with confusion and worry.

"What's wrong? Did I go too far? Did I hurt you?" Peeta looked so scared, and Katniss filled with shame. She could feel tears running down her cheeks, and cursed herself for the irrational crying.

"No, Peeta. You didn't do anything, I just.. I need some time. I-I'm sorry." Katniss pushed past Peeta and started towards her bedroom, but Peeta took hold of her wrist and pulled her back to him.

"Please, let me in. Katniss, it kills me to know something bad has happened to you. Tell me what it was and I can help you. Please." Peeta looked so sincere, that Katniss knew it was time to tell him everything. She led him over to the couch and sat down with him, instantly feeling his strong arms wrap around her.

"You know how I was telling you about Cato?" Peeta nodded. "Well the thing he did.. It was terrible. Really, really bad. I didn't leave my apartment for weeks, I had to rely on Finnick to take care of me."

"What did he do?" Peeta asked softly, his voice almost as low as a whisper.

"He came by about a month after he cheated on me. I was alone, in here studying, and he knocked on the door. As soon as I answered it I knew he was drunk. Something wasn't right, he looked.. _angry._ Like, worse than I had ever seen him."

Peeta was listening carefully, never interrupting.

"I asked him what he wanted, and all he said was 'You.' He kissed me, again and again, and I tried to push him away but he was so strong and I-I.." Katniss erupted into sobs, burying her head in Peeta's chest. Peeta held her tighter, whispering in her ear.

"It's ok, Katniss, I'm right here. It's ok." Katniss took a deep breath and continued.

"He- He just pushed me up against the wall, like you did, and he wouldn't get off me. He wouldn't stop. It hurt so much, Peeta, I was so scared." Katniss began to cry again. "It was my fault. I wouldn't have sex with him before."

Peeta turned her head to look him in the eye. "Don't ever say that Katniss. It was _not_ your fault, and please don't think that it was."

"There's more. There was another guy, called Gale, and we were just friends at first. We hung out a lot, because he was in to archery aswell. He started to get really clingy to me after a while, even though we weren't together. I agreed to go on a date with him after about a month. We went out to dinner, and he started saying some really bad things. Like how it's a shame that someone like me had Prim holding me back. And how Finnick and I seemed a little too close. When we got home, he tried to kiss me, but I wouldn't. He called me a slut, and pointed out how it was no wonder that I was a virgin." Katniss felt Peeta's hand move slightly on her arm in response to that revelation, but he didn't say anything.

"It was only a couple of months after Cato, so I was still pretty sensitive. I slapped him. That's why I've been pushing you away. Every time we get close, I just see their faces in my mind. I can always hear their voices in my head telling me that you'll do the same, but I know hat you would never do that."

"Katniss, I would never, _ever,_ hurt you. Believe me, it broke my heart the day I left America, and I never felt better until I saw you again. I would never do that. You know that." Peeta looked so sincere, and Katniss couldn't help but feel guilty. Tears started to slide down her face, and Katniss made a poor attempt to hide them. Peeta noticed, his eyes filling with concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked, holding her closer.

"I'm so sorry! I-I was mad at you for leaving me and breaking my heart but I never thought that it had hurt you. How can you still want me after that? I've been giving you such mixed signals this whole time and you've been nothing but amazing to me. I don't deserve you." Katniss kept sobbing, seemingly unable to stop.

"Katniss of course you deserve me. I'm the one that doesn't deserve you. You're strong, and beautiful, and the most amazing person I've ever met. You took care of Prim when your parents died, and you still do. I've never done anything like that. You're so much better than I am."

Katniss knew in that moment that she had to tell him; Tell him that she loved him. Because she was sure of it. She hadn't been before the wedding, but she was now.

Katniss exhaled a long sigh, and prepared herself. She had never said this to anyone but Prim and Finnick before.

"Peeta?"

Peeta looked down at her and raised his eyebrows.

"I-"

Suddenly, the phone rang, cutting her off. Katniss hurried into the kitchen to grab it, seeing Finnick's number on the caller ID.

"Katniss? Can you come over? Now?"

"Of course." Finnick sounded pretty upset.

"We're going to Finnick's place, something's wrong."

* * *

**A/N.**

**Well, there you have it! It was kind of a short chapter, but I don't have a lot of time. I had my art exam today, and it went ok-ish. I have history and geography tomorrow, so I'm kind of dreading that! Wish me luck! Keep reviewing, I need some cheering up right now.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N.**

**I AM SO SORRY! I know it's been forever since I updated but I have an excuse! I went out for like 4 nights in a row last week and then I had a date on valentine's day, and I've been studying like mad! Please bear with me, stuff has been really stressful with me recently!**

**Ok, in chapters to come (but not this chapter) the storyline is something that actually happened to me a couple of years ago. It left me really depressed for a while, so I just want to say if any of you readers are going through something like this then let me know through private mail on this and I'll give you my twitter name and I can give you some advice or just listen. It left me in a really bad place and I was so low, and I had no-one to talk to and it was just baaaad. So if anyone wants to talk I'm here!**

**Enjoy x**

* * *

_Chapter 15 - October_

Katniss and Peeta got changed into normal clothes and took another cab to Finnick's house. The door was jar, so they let themselves in.

"Finnick?" Katniss called, heading towards Finnick's bedroom. Peeta followed, getting worried. Finnick was never this quiet. Every time Katniss and Peeta had come her before, as soon as they had gotten in the door Finnick would be there welcoming them.

Katniss hurried down the hallway towards Finnick's bedroom, throwing open the door when she got there. Peeta heard her gasp, so he followed her in. From what Peeta could see, Finnick was sitting on the ground, slumped against the wall. Katniss put a hand on his forehead and gasped, letting out a quiet sob. She turned to Peeta and began to panic.

"C-Call an ambulance! Now Peeta!" Katniss screamed. Peeta took one look at Finnick and pulled out his phone. Finnick had a two-inch gash on his forehead, which was bleeding heavily. The crimson liquid was flowing over his eye at an alarming pace.

"H-Hello, I need an ambulance. Now." Peeta continued to give the address and details of the injury, while Katniss got some towels and tried to stop the bleeding. Finnick was conscious, but unaware of everything that was happening. He may as well have been sleeping. Katniss took Finnick's pulse for the third time to check if he was still there, and then turned over and slumped against the wall beside him. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Who would do this to him?" she quietly sobbed, and Peeta lowered himself down beside her. She turned to him and buried her head in his shirt, still crying. He held her until they heard the ambulance sirens five minutes later.

Two paramedics burst into the room and got straight to work. One pulled out some sterile cloths and the other sprayed the wound with a clear liquid that smelled like aloe-vera. The small stream of blood that was still trickling out of the wound stopped, and Peeta felt Katniss relax with slight relief.

"Is he going to be ok? We don't know what happened, we just came in and he was-"

The paramedic stopped her. "He should be fine, but we'll need to take a scan of his head and confirm. You can follow us to the hospital if you want."

With that they unfolded a stretcher and gently placed Finnick on it. They lifted him and took him out to the ambulance, which was still running outside.

Peeta took Katniss' hand and tried to re-assure her. "He'll be fine Katniss, you know that. And we'll find out who did it. Don't worry."

"I know, Peeta, but who could do this to him. He never hurt anyone. It isn't fair." Katniss began to cry again, and Peeta directed her to Finncik's car, intending to drive them to the hospital.

* * *

Katniss and Peeta got to the hospital ten minutes after the ambulance, and because Katniss was on an internship in this hospital a few months back, she was allowed into Finnick's room. When they entered, Finnick was sitting up in his bed staring blankly at the wall.

"Finnick?" It was well past three in the morning, and Peeta could hear the exhaustion creeping in to Katniss' voice.

Finnick snapped out of whatever daze he was in and looked at Katniss. He gave her a wonky smile. "Hey."

Katniss let out a relieved sigh and rushed to his bed to hug him. "What happened Finnick? You scared me to death!"

Finnick's grin slipped off his face, and he averted his eyes to his lap. "Can we talk about it later?"

"Of course." Katniss smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. A gesture like that should have made Peeta jealous, but it was obvious that it was more of a friendly love than anything passionate or romantic. Besides, he wasn't really sure that he could be in the position to be jealous. They had only kissed three times, hadn't been on a date since he came to America, and Katniss hadn't even mentioned the word boyfriend to him.

Just then, a doctor entered the room. She was tall, blonde and probably in her mid-thirties.

"I have to take Mr. Odair for his scan now." Finnick got out of his bed and followed her out of the door, after whispering something about how hot the doctor was to Peeta. Peeta shook his head and chuckled at the fact that even when he was in hospital, Finnick was still a ladies man. Suddenly a thought occurred to him.

"How did you and Finnick meet?" Peeta asked, curious.

Katniss eyes shot up, and she looked embarrassed. "We.. We went on a date." Peeta was shocked to hear this. Katniss seemed like the last person that Finnick would pursue.

"And how did that happen?" Peeta was half joking, half serious.

"Well, we met at a bar on my seventeenth birthday, and I'm not surprised that he approached me. I was dressed just like the skanks he usually goes after. _Against my will. _He came up to me and tried flirting, but I wasn't falling for any of it. I saw right through him. He asked me out at least ten times, so I said yes because he was getting annoying." Katniss was laughing slightly at this point.

"Sounds.. _Weird._" Peeta offered, as it was the only word that came to mind when he thought of Finnick and Katniss on a date.

"It really was. We had a great time, and he kissed me at the end but we both agreed that it was totally disgusting. He asked for my number and called me the next day, and we talked for hours. We decided that we would be so much better off as just friends, and I was so happy. I mean, he saved me. I never told him this, but I was verging on depression when I met him. Life in general was horrible."

Peeta smiled, and realised that if it wasn't for Finnick, he probably wouldn't have been able to find Katniss. He owed him a lot. He and Finnick had grown close over the last few months, like brothers.

"Well then, it sounds like I owe him too." Peeta smiled.

"What for?"

"For making you happy. I can't stand to see you sad."

Katniss beamed at him. "Well, I don't think I've ever been happier than I have been in the last few weeks. Thank _you._"

Peeta gave her another smile, and leaned in to give her a peck on the lips. Life was good.

* * *

**A/N.**

**Well, I just wanted to say sorry again for the wait on this chapter! I have been suuuper busy and life has been fucking stressful and ugh! More exams this week so another slow update, I'm really sorry! I love each and every one of you readers, please keep reviewing and telling me what you think. Suggestions and everything are welcome!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N.**

**Well hey! My exams are officially O-V-E-R and I am all yours again! Life is so good, my exams went well and I am just looking forward to the week ahead hehe. Oooohhh and I got my piano exam results and I got 91, which is great! My friend got tickets to a ball-type thingy tonight, so he's taking me and I'm staying in his house after and going for a trip tomorrow so you probably won't get another update until the end of next week because I usually write mostly at the beginning of the week!**

**Ok in this chapter Katniss and Peeta play a game, and let me tell you it is fuuun. I played it with my friend when we were drunk, and let me say it was pretty embarrassing! I have to leave out a few questions because of what happened to Katniss etc. but this is gonna be a fun chapter! Ok enough of me, enjoy! x**

* * *

_Chapter 16 - November_

Things fell into a normal rhythm after the wedding. Katniss and Peeta hadn't kissed or made any sort of romantic gestures since that night, but neither wanted to bring it up.

Finnick was a little dazed and unsteady at first, so Katniss let him stay in her apartment for a week while Peeta stayed at Finnick's place. After that he was fine, but he still wouldn't share what had happened. Neither of them wanted to push him to, either.

Katniss noticed that Peeta was spending increasingly more time away from the apartment, and came home exhausted every time he left for longer than a couple of hours.

Prim was doing increasingly well at school, coming top of the class in everything. She even received a letter from a state college offering her a scholarship in two years. Katniss hadn't heard of this happening before, but Prim explained that it was rare. This made Katniss immensely proud of her little sister. It also took a huge weight off of her chest. Katniss has started worrying that when the time came, she wouldn't be able to afford to send Prim to college. Katniss was struggling to keep herself in school, but was handling it just so.

One day, when Katniss was feeling particularly stressed about life in general, she decided that she needed to blow off some steam.

"Peeta?" Katniss asked. Peeta looked up from where he was kneading some dough on the counter and gave her a small smile.

"Yeah?"

"Let's get drunk tonight." Peeta's grin spread across his face, and his blue eyes twinkled.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

* * *

Katniss got home from the hospital that she was interning in as part of her coursework and called for Peeta. He appeared from the kitchen, covered in flour.

"I'm just gonna go change and then you can get as shit-faced as you want." Peeta winked at her, and proceeded to pull his shirt over his head. Katniss looked at his toned chest and let out a needy sigh. Over the last few weeks, Peeta had seemed to be looking for any excuse to take off his shirt in front of her, like when they went swimming - which had been his idea. He was tempting Katniss, and she knew it.

It was just then that Katniss had been staring at his chest in a daze, and Peeta had said something to her.

Katniss snapped her head up. "Uh, what? What did you say?" Peeta chuckled, repeating his question.

"Do you want dinner? I can make something if you're hungry." Katniss shook her head. "No thanks, I ate at the hospital."

"No problem." With that he continued to his room and pulled on a clean blue t-shirt. "I got a bottle of vodka, if that's what you want."

"Sounds perfect." Katniss shot him a wicked smile and headed for this kitchen. She picked up two shot glasses and the tall, clear bottle and returned to the living room, where Peeta was waiting for her, sitting on the ground with his back against the couch. Katniss sat across from him and poured them both a shot, downing them with a wince.

"Do you know any drinking games?" Peeta asked.

"Well no, but I have a game if you're interested." Katniss remembered the game from one time that she and Finnick had gotten particularly drunk.

"Be my guest, then." Peeta replied, pouring more shots.

"Ok, it's not much but it can be pretty embarrassing sometimes. It's called firsts. I ask you what your first experience of something was and you tell me. Simple."

Peeta smiled, and poured yet another round of shots.

"Ok, I'll start off easy. First job?"

"Easy. Working for my parents in the bakery."

"I waitressed in the cafe down the street. Your turn." Katniss replied, swallowing the shot Peeta set in front of her.

"First kiss?" he asked, giving her a smirk.

Katniss blushed. "A guy called Thom. We were in kindergarten and he decided that he was madly in love with me. He came up to me one day in the playground and sort of ambushed me. He kissed me and walked away with a bruise on his cheek." Katniss grinned proudly.

Peeta looked confused. "I thought- You told me I was your first kiss when we were dating?"

"You were my first _real_ kiss. I don't think Thom counted." Katniss giggled, the shots taking effect.

"Mine was with some girl called Cashmere when I was fourteen. It was a little against my will." Peeta chuckled, taking another shot.

Katniss felt a pang of jealousy in her chest hearing this. She too thought that she had been Peeta's first kiss. Her next question slipped out of her mouth without even processing in her brain.

"First time?" Katniss slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. _Where had that come from?_

Peeta's cheeks flushed red. "Oh, uh, Katniss I- I mean, I've never.. I'm a virgin." He flicked his eyes away from hers, embarrassed.

Katniss felt the jealousy from the kiss revelation ease. She knew it was petulant, but Katniss didn't think that she could bear someone else being close with Peeta the way that she so badly wanted to be.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." But she wasn't. She wasn't sorry. Not in the slightest. Katniss had already known that Peeta was a virgin, but she wanted to hear him say it. To hear that she was the only person that had claimed his heart.

"First love?" Katniss asked in a low, almost inaudible voice.

Peeta's eyes shot up, suddenly serious.

"Katniss.."

"Peeta, who was it?"

"It was you."

* * *

**A/N.**

**Soooo this chapter was kinda short because like I said I have the ball thingy tonight so I have to go get ready now and I'm running low on time! I hope you guys enjoyed this, There are only a few more chapters left! I know exactly what I want to do with this story, so there will be no writers block!**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N.**

**Sooooo I'm sorry for the wait, but life has been hectic, and I re-wrote this chapter maaany times. I have a new boyfriend, schoolwork, I recently started giving a friend piano lessons and I have a part time job so I have had zero free time. Peeta's finally said the big L-word (sort of) soooo naturally Katniss is gonna be scared shitless. This is an emotional one, Enjoy!**

**P.S. I watched Perks of Being a Wallflower last night and it was basically the cutest movie ever, highly recommended!**

* * *

_Chapter 17 - November II_

"It was you."

Katniss almost coughed up all of the alcohol that was currently turning in her stomach.

"W-What?" She stammered, not looking him in the eye.

"Come on Katniss," he said softly, suddenly sober. "You know we had something. You have to had felt it."

Katniss _had_ felt it. And it was strong. More so, in the past few weeks, but it had always been there. She just wasn't ready to admit it. The night of the wedding had spooked her, and the next day Katniss had sat down on her own and thought long and hard about it. If she was ready for all of this with Peeta. With _anyone._

"I-I don't.. Peeta, I'm sorry." Katniss looked up and Peeta's face crumbled. His eyes were swimming with hurt and anger, and Katniss could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes. "I think you should go."

"Go? Go where Katniss? To the bakery that I've been trying to open for months behind your back so that I could pay back all of the rent I owe you and get my own place? The bakery that I'm opening for you?"

"A-A bakery?"

Peeta was red faced, with anger flashing in his eyes. "Yeah, I thought maybe that if I finally got my shit together and did something that you'd like that. That you'd finally see that I'm here for the long run, and that I'm here for _you._ But apparently that's not good enough." Katniss was taken aback. She marched towards him and pointed a finger at his chest.

"Well excuse me for not falling in love instantly with the next random guy that performs some big gesture." Peeta looked devastated, and Katniss instantly wished that she could take back the harsh words. Peeta wasn't a random guy. He was in love with her.

"So that's all I am? Some random guy? I love you, Katniss. _Love you._ I'm not just some guy that wants to get into your pants and leave, but judging by your past that's all you seem to be attracted to."

Katniss' hand left a red, stinging print on Peeta's face. "How _dare _you. I get raped, and fucked over by guys and you think that you can go and say that kind of shit to me, the person who took you in with no questions asked and accepted you in to her life?"

"Look, Katniss, I'm sorry. Oh God, I'm so sorry." Unshed tears were swimming in Peeta's eyes, and Katniss almost lost all of her resolve.

Almost.

"Get out. Now. Go and stay with Finnick or something, I don't care. Just don't come back here."

"Please, don't do this. I didn't mean it, I-I.. Katniss, please." Peeta was practically begging, but Katniss couldn't handle this. She had been perfectly happy in her own little family with Prim and Finnick before he got here. She hadn't asked for him to love her, and she didn't need his love, either.

"Just go, Peeta. I'm sorry."

Katniss slowly left the room and crawled into her bed, before her body started shaking with sobs and the unshed tears began to fall.

* * *

Finnick walked in to the apartment about an hour later, and called for Katniss. When he got no answer, he made his way to her bedroom to check for her. What he saw shocked him. Katniss was sitting on top of her bed, the sheets still in place, fully clothed and red-faced. This was bad. Finnick had only ever seen her look like this once. When that son of a bitch had raped her. This wasn't Katniss. Katniss was strong, and independent.

"K-Katniss? What's wrong?"

"He's gone. I've fucked this up so much. What's wrong with me, Finnick?" Katniss looked at Finnick, shocking him when he realised that she was expecting an answer.

"Katniss, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You know that, and I know that. Peeta knows it too." Finnick approached her, wrapping her in a hug.

"This is my fault. I was too scared. I pushed him away. Said shit that I didn't mean." Finnick was confused.

"What happened, Katniss?"

"He told me he loved me and I lost it. He got mad, I slapped him, and now he's gone. Probably not coming back." Katniss shrugged, silent tears streaming down her face.

Finnick hugged her tighter, and then left to get her some water and aspirin. She appeared sober, but he could smell the alcohol coming off of her. He pulled out his phone, too, and dialed Peeta's number. No answer.

Finnick was worried about Peeta, as they had grown incredibly close over the last few months, like brothers. But right now Katniss was his priority. He would choose her over Peeta in a heartbeat, after all that she had done for him.

Like the night that Annie had hit with with that trophy. Finnick knew that when he called Katniss, he had been interrupting something big between her and Peeta. But it was bad. Annie had come to his apartment after the wedding, and invited herself in. Finnick was still a little tipsy from the wedding, and Annie hadn't helped that when she opened a bottle of wine. The wine had clouded his judgement, and before he knew what was happening, he was over her, listening to her ecstatic moans while he moved above her.

After, when they were both sober, Finnick realised the enormity of what he had done. He told Annie that it had been a mistake, and asked her to leave. She hadn't taken this well, clearly wanting him back. They both got out of bed, and had a horrible argument. It ended with anger flashing in Annie's usually soft green eyes, and her throwing an old swimming trophy at him.

She hadn't shown her face since that night, which was fine with Finnick. He had been seeing someone, anyway. She was called Amanda, and Finnick smiled at the thought of her. Amanda was the complete opposite of the trashy girls that he usually went for; she didn't wear make-up, and didn't need it anyway. She liked books, and playing the piano. She was one of the best swimmers that Finnick had ever seen. She had beautiful blonde hair, and the best thing about her was that she loved him, and he loved her.

He returned to Katniss with the water and aspirin, and climbed into her bed. They lay together all night, with Katniss still silently crying; sobbing occasionally. She needed him right now, so his friendship with Peeta would have to wait.

* * *

**A/N.**

**Sooooooo I'm sorry. You guys probably hate me (with good reason) but I promise it will all work out! And I gave you some cute Finnick time, awww! Please keep reviewing! They make me smile :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Wooo! Two chapters in one day, you guys better love me! Writing the last chapter was emotional, and this chapter skips forward a few years. This isn't the last chapter, but the next one will be. I hope you all enjoyed my story, because I absolutely loved writing it for you. **

**Enjoy x**

* * *

_Chapter 18 - Three Years Later, May._

Katniss took in the beautiful scene before her, still in disbelief that this day was really here. She was standing in a large garden, with the sun beaming down and flowers in bloom everywhere you looked. There were two small children running after each other, a girl and a boy, the girl tripping over her pink dress. The boy initially laughed, but helped her up.

Prim was sitting on top of a blanket on the grass, not wanting to get her dress dirty before the ceremony began. Rory was sitting beside her, holding her hand. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and they didn't appear to be talking. Just enjoying each other's company.

Katniss turned to her right and looked at the long table set up beside the lawn. There was a tall cake in the middle, with four tiers and delicate green flowers wrapped around it. On either side there were glasses of champagne and various other drinks, but most of the glasses remained untouched as of yet.

Katniss looked at her watch and realised that the ceremony was about to begin. She made her way back inside, and found the other two bridesmaids standing around Amanda, making last minute adjustments on her hair and make-up. Katniss smiled, and picked up her bouquet of white lilies from the small table in the corner. She then walked over to the tall mirror and made sure that her dress was still in place, and that no wrinkles had appeared in the last five minutes. It was sea-green, fitted and beautiful.

She turned around again, and saw that the bridesmaids were also gathering their bouquets and smoothing their dresses. Katniss took a moment to admire Amanda. Her dress was truly stunning, plain yet gorgeous. It had a white, fitted bodice, with a green band around the waist that exactly matched the bridesmaids' dresses. From the band, the skirt flared out slightly and ended at the floor.

Finnick had introduced Katniss to Amanda about a week after Peeta had left, and they instantly became friends. They were quite similar, infact. Like herself, Amanda liked books, music and anything that was outdoors. She gave Katniss swimming lessons, which had become a regular hobby by then; anything to take her mind off _him._ She also taught her to play the piano, which Katniss now loved. At first, it was frustrating and confusing, but after about a year Katniss' musical instincts kicked in and she began to play some slightly more challenging pieces. She was nowhere near as good as Amanda, but like the swimming, anything to take her mind off of everything.

They grew close, almost like sisters, and Prim also admired her. All three of them would go to small, indie gigs and watch bad movies together, enjoying being around each other.

Prim wasn't a bridesmaid today, but Katniss was. Today was the first day in years that Katniss felt completely at ease; happy.

* * *

Katniss walked down the aisle second, after Amanda's sister. The aisle was outdoors, beside the picturesque country house and garden. She took her place beside the alter, and scanned the crowd for Prim and Rory.

But she didn't see them.

She saw Peeta.

He looked amazing, to put it lightly. He was wearing a grey suit with a blue tie, and his blonde hair was badly in need of a trim. Katniss' breath caught in her throat when their eyes met.

* * *

After the ceremony, Katniss took a glass of champagne and decided to do some mingling; she couldn't avoid it forever. She found herself heading to Peeta's table, where he was chatting happily to Finnick.

"Hey, you guys." Peeta looked up, and Katniss pulse began to race when their eyes met for the second time that day.

"Uh, hi, Katniss." Was all he said.

"Well, I'm gonna leave you guys to.. _talk._ See you later." Finnick got up and left, heading over to talk to Prim and Rory.

Katniss stood awkwardly, cursing herself for even coming over here.

Peeta broke the silence first. "You look great."

Katniss gave him a half smile. "So do you."

Another awkward silence.

"Look, Katniss this is so fucking awkward. I get that. Can we start over?" Katniss breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. She sat down opposite Peeta, and he gave her a lopsided grin.

"How have you been?" She asked.

"Great, uh, I opened a bakery about ten minutes from here. And I'm taking business classes on the side. It's a little stressful sometimes but I love it. How about you?" Katniss felt her heart melt a little, glad that he was happy.

"Yeah, me too. I finished my nursing course last month, and I got a real job. Prim got a scholarship too, so she's going to college in the fall. I'll be all on my own." Katniss let out something between a sigh and a chuckle at this, looking down at her lap. She thought she heard Peeta mumble something along the lines of "you don't have to be," but she wasn't sure.

"Do you want to dance?" Peeta asked, holding out his hand suddenly. Katniss began to decline, but then changed her mind.

_One dance couldn't hurt, could it?_

They made their way t the make-shift dancefloor in the middle of the lawn, where the band began to play a slightly slower song. After the first few bars, Katniss realised what song it was. It was the song that Peeta had played for her so many times during those months after he had arrived. It was the most played song on his iPod, and it was also the song that Katniss had listened to every day for about a month after Peeta left.

The smooth indie tune calmed her, and she pulled Peeta close. Katniss rested her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.

_You could let it down; Jump in to the river baby, easy as it sounds.. Never quite as easily done._

Katniss smiled at the line in the song. After a while of listening to it, she added her own hidden meaning to this lyric. When she was with Peeta before.. She had known that she loved him; thought that saying it to him would be easy. But, as the song said, actually doing it is never quite as easily done.

Katniss began to quietly sing , never moving her head from Peeta's shoulder. After a while, in the closing lines of the song, a tear slid from her eye.

"You used to always play this for me. I thought your iPod was going to explode. We must have listened to it about a thousand times." Katniss laughed quietly. The song ended, and Katniss began to walk away.

But Peeta couldn't handle it anymore, so he grabbed her wrist and spun her back to him, crashing his lips to hers. The kiss said everything that she had wanted to say to Peeta ever since he left. That she loved him, that she missed him, that he was her family now. He was safety for her. He was home.

* * *

**A/N. **

**Well, I think that this has been my favourite chapter so far. The song that played was Who Knows, Who Cares by the Local Natives. It's a personal favourite of mine, you should all give it a listen! **

**Review please, make me smile as I'm not in the best of moods right now x**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N.**

**Ok I decided that I would add two more chapters instead of just one, so the story will be exactly 20 chapters! **

**Enjoy x**

* * *

_Chapter 19 - May_

For the rest of the wedding, Katniss remained glued to Peeta's side. They talked and laughed, just like they used to. There were no awkward silences - no silence at all, really. They had three years worth of their lives to talk about it, and neither were passing up on the opportunity.

Katniss noticed a change in Peeta. It was in the way that he walked, talked and interacted with people on general. He held his head higher than before. He had more confidence. Not that he wasn't confident before, but this was a more genuine self-assurance. Katniss liked it.

Maybe their time spent apart had been what they needed. They had grown up.

Katniss was also different. Before, she hadn't like talking to people. Remained behind closed doors whenever possible. Now, though, Peeta thought that she faced people and strangers with an air of positive energy.

Finnick had also changed. Katniss saw it in the way that he looked at Amanda. At his _wife._ The idea of Finnick ever getting married had seemed almost impossible three years ago, but seeing him today made Katniss think that this was the person that he was always meant to be. A genuine, good person, focused on one woman; the woman he loved.

Katniss remembered the first time Finnick had told her that he was going to marry Amanda.

_"She's nice." Katniss smiled at Finnick. Amanda had left to go to the bathroom, and Prim had gone with her. _

_"She's better than nice, Katniss. She's amazing. _Perfect._" Finnick was beaming with happiness, and Katniss couldn't remember him ever being this happy with Annie. _

_"Don't fuck it up." Katniss replied, winking at him. _

_"Don't worry, I won't." _

_They fell into a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, before Finnick spoke up again._

_"I'm going to marry her someday, Katniss. I know it." Katniss gave him a huge smile._

_"I know."_

_Finnick didn't realise, and still didn't know to this day, that while he said that, Amanda had been standing behind him while he said that, and had heard every word. _

_What surprised Katniss is that she didn't look scared, or freaked out. She look absolutely high on happiness and love, and Katniss knew that they would be together, forever._

Katniss turned to Peeta.

"I remember the first time Finnick told me he was going to marry her. It was two and a half years ago, and Amanda heard every word of it. Finnick still doesn't know." Peeta smiled at this.

"I told Finnick I was going to marry you someday." Peeta announced, somewhat shyly, "I was so sure of it. It was after the wedding, when you told me about Cato. I told him the next day, and he just said not to spook me too soon."

Katniss blushed and looked down at her hands in her lap. "I guess things don't always work out that way."

"But they could, Katniss." Peeta put a hand under chin and lifted it so that she looked him in the eye.

"Peeta.."

"Don't, Katniss. You know you felt it when we kissed. It's still there. The spark."

Katniss knew that it was still there, but she didn't want to jump in to anything.

_But she did._

Katniss got up from her chair, and held her hand out to Peeta. "Come on."

Peeta held her hand and followed her inside. They entered the large house, which Finnick had rented out for the wedding. There were rooms inside, and Katniss had booked one for the night. She led Peeta to it, and produced the key from her purse. Katniss went inside, but noticed that Peeta hadn't followed her.

"Are you Ok?" she asked, as Peeta looked a little nervous and concerned.

Peeta just nodded, and followed her in to the room. Peeta took off his blazer, and hung it on the back of one of the chairs in the corner. Katniss took off her shoes, in turn.

"Katniss?"

Katniss looked up at him in answer.

"If anything happens tonight.. I want you to know one thing. Don't feel like you have to say it back. What I did three years ago was so _stupid_ and I can't believe I ever said any of that stuff to you."

"What is it?" Katniss asked.

He too a step closer, and kissed her gently, once. "I love you. I still love you."

Katniss couldn't take it anymore, and kissed him back hungrily. It had been too long. She missed him, so, _so_ much, and she wanted to show him that tonight. She pushed him backwards, toward the bed, and when his knees hit the end, she pushed him back and landed gently on top of him. She slowly loosened his tie, pulled it off, and began to unbutton his shirt.

The whole experience was perfect for the both of them. It was full of love, devotion, and pure joy. Katniss remembered every single detail of it.

The way Peeta swallowed dryly when she pulled off her dress.

The way her heart raced when he picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

The pure love that she felt spread from her chest to ever corner of her body when Peeta tore open the small foil package.

And the way he whispered "I love you." when he slid into her for the first ever time. It hurt at first, but Katniss had had her fair share of pain throughout her life, so she could bear it.

When it was over, and they were both about to drift off, Katniss decided that words topped actions. He needed to hear it from her, not just feel it.

"I love you, Peeta. Always have, always will."

Peeta smiled down at her in return, and kissed her on the top of the head.

"I love you too. So much."

* * *

**A/N. **

**Well what did you think? I loved this chapter! I know it was short, but I wanted it to be just about them. The next chapter will be the epilogue, the final chapter. Please keep reviewing, it means a lot. **

**Ohhh by the way, in case you're wondering why I put up so many chapters in the past two days, I wrote these all last week, but I worked back from this one, so the fight chapter was the last one I finished.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N.**

**Sooo here you have it - the very last chapter *wipes away tear.* I hope you guys like this, it's just a little bit of fluff to say goodbye. I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Enjoy x**

* * *

_Chapter 20 - Epilogue (Two Years Later)_

Katniss took one final look in the mirror, smoothing her dress and applying a second coat of lip gloss. She slid on her shoes, catching her balance. Her feet were going to be absolutely _killed_ by the end of the night.

She made her way downstairs, and was met with a delighted giggle. Finnick and Amanda's son, Finn, ran towards her, jumping in to her arms.

"Hey Finn!" Katniss laughed, and gave him a light kiss on the top of his head. Finn was the nicest child that Katniss had ever met; always smiling and laughing, always putting everyone around him in a good mood.

"Careful, he might get your dress dirty." Amanda appeared, poking her head round the door. "I love your dress, by the way."

Katniss looked down at her dress, the same dress that she had worn to Haymitch's wedding all those years ago. It still fitted her just the same, and she decided to wear it tonight to dinner with Peeta, for their second anniversary. It was the same dress that she had been wearing when they first kissed, and when she had told Peeta about Cato. It was special.

"Thank you. It's Peeta's favourite." Amanda gave Katniss a sly smile at this.

"He won't be able to keep his hands off you." She winked at her.

"As usual." Katniss winked back, setting Finn down on the floor. Even after two years, Katniss and Peeta could never keep their hands off each other. They did it anywhere they could; even on one eventful night on Finnick's sofa while Finnick was in the shower. Katniss always smiled at the memory, and still wondered to this day how they didn't get caught.

Katniss heard Peeta coming down the stairs, so she turned cautiously and entered the hall, not wanting to stumble in her heels.

"Holy shit. I didn't know you still have that dress." Peeta mumbled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up the stairs.

"What are you doing, Peeta?" Katniss laughed.

"We have an hour until our reservations," They entered their bedroom, Peeta pushing her against the wall, "may as well make the most of it."

"Peeta, we have to go!" Katniss laughed, halfheartedly pushing him away.

Her laugh died in her throat and was replaced with a breathy sigh when Peeta started to nip and kiss up her neck.

"That's what I thought." Peeta said, wearing a smug smile.

* * *

They finally reached the restaurant, ten minutes late for their reservations. But it had been well worth it.

"Happy anniversary." Peeta said, looking at her with sparkling eyes. They clinked glasses, and sat in a comfortable silence while waiting for their dessert.

"Uh, Katniss? I have something to ask you." Katniss looked up and raised an eyebrow in response.

"Well, I, uh, I've been thinking about this for a while, and, uh, now seems like as good a time as ever. I want you to know that I love you more than everything, even life itself. I would never do anything to hurt you, or make you said, or upset in any way. You mean absolutely everything to me, and I couldn't imagine ever living my life without you. When we.. When we broke up, Katniss, I almost ended it all. I was willing to give everything up. But I didn't. Because I knew that someday I would find you again."

Katniss felt tears burning the back of her eyes, and the realisation of what was happening dawned on her.

_Oh God._

"I knew it, and I decided, that day, that I would do anything it took to make you my wife. I had to beg Finnick for weeks to invite me to the wedding, just because I knew you'd be there. And it was worth it. I love you."

Katniss inhaled a sharp breath as he got off of his chair, pulled a small purple velvet box out of his blazer pocket, and lowered himself down on one knee.

"Katniss Everdeen,"

Katniss looked into his eyes, and what she saw was filled with pure love, devotion, and elation.

"Will you marry me?"

Katniss had always been against marriage. Spending the rest of her life with one person seemed like the worst idea possible.

Until now.

She saw how happy it would make Peeta if she said yes. And that was all that she really wanted to do in life.

"Yes."

Peeta's eyes were watery, and filled with joy. He got up, slipped the ring on to her finger, and kissed her. Hard. It was the most knee weakening, pulse raising kiss that she had ever had in her entire life, and she kissed him back with vigor.

Katniss pulled back, and grabbed his tie, pulling his forward until their noses were touching.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you more."

* * *

They got home around midnight, and Peeta immediately spun her around and pushed her against the door, kissing her hungrily. His hand has just started to slide towards her chest when Finnick appeared.

Peeta spun around. "For fuck's sake, Finn, why are you still here?"

"I had to see if she said yes, bro." He responded, chuckling.

Katniss grabbed his arm. "He knew?"

"I-I didn't tell him. At least, I don't think I did. Oh God, was I drunk?" Peeta groaned, covering his face with his hands.

Finnick laughed. "No. But you shouldn't leave ring boxes lying around where everyone can see them. I caught Finn with it in his mouth earlier."

Katniss smiled, thinking that forgetting to hide the ring was a very Peeta thing to do.

"Well, from what I caught you guys doing, I'm gonna presume she said yes. Good night, don't stay up too late kiddies." Finnick said, winking at them as he walked out the door.

"Thank fuck he's gone. Now where were we?" Peeta said, already kissing her neck. He lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

That night, they had an engagement celebration of their own. On their couch. And the bed. Even the kitchen table. And even in the shower the next morning.

* * *

**_5 Years Later._**

Katniss laughed as Ava fell over while running around the garden, bow in hand. She shot an arrow with a small suction cup on the end at a nearby wooden make-shift target, and when it hit the ring nearest to the middle, she laughed with pure joy.

"Mommy, look at me! I hit it!" Katniss was delighted that Ava liked archery, just as she had.

"That was amazing! You gonna try again, sweetie?" Ava nodded and turned her attention back to the target. She was the smartest, most lively 4 year old that Katniss knew, and she became more intelligent every day.

Just then, Dylan ran out of the house. "Ma!"

Katniss chuckled at his slight inability to say 'Mom'.

He ran out and began to chase Ava around the grass, laughing his squeaky laugh the whole way.

Katniss took this moment to appreciate what an amazing family she had. And how good her life was. In all honesty, she couldn't even remember why she had been scared to admit her love for Peeta all those years ago. Now, he was her husband, and anything different from that was unthinkable. He was a part of her, and she couldn't live without him.

It was those damn blue eyes that had reeled her in all those years ago, and she fell more in love with them every single day.

* * *

**A/N.**

**Wow! Well, I cannot believe that this is over. I have loved every second of writing this story for you guys, and I hope you all loved reading it. I hope you all liked the ending, because I've loved writing the last few chapters the most. **

**I hope to write more in the future, and I hope you can all give that a read. **

**Love you guys! **

**Jill. x**


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